Helen Whately, the MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, has joined the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) as minister for arts, heritage and tourism.
Her appointment was part of a small ministerial reshuffle conducted by the prime minister Boris Johnson on 10 September after a number of MPs quit over his Brexit plans.
Whately replaces Rebecca Pow, who joins Defra in the reshuffle. Pow was only in the job for five months, having replaced Michael Ellis (who served for 16 months) in May.
Delighted to join @DCMS as Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism. Already lost count of the number of people who’ve told me I have the best job in Government. pic.twitter.com/jlQV1f9E5f
— Helen Whately (@Helen_Whately) September 11, 2019
Nicky Morgan, the MP for Loughborough, remains as the department's secretary of state.
Whately, a former management consultant, has been an MP since 2015. She has previously been deputy chair of the Conservative Party and vice chair for women, and served on the House of Commons Health Select Committee for two years until 2017.
According to the website, TheyWorkForYou.com, Whately has hardly ever voted against her party in the current parliament.
