Margot James appointed as Minister for Digital and Creative Industries

The games industry has a new key minister of state.

Margot James has been appointed as Minister for Digital and Creative Industries, following a wider government reshuffle. James previously was Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for two years.

Former Minister for Digital and Creative Industries Matt Hancock is now Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). His latest commitment was to undertake regulation to ensure that every home in the UK would have access to high-speed internet by 2020. 

Reacting to James’ appointment, Ukie CEO Jo Twist OBE told MCV: “We are delighted to hear that Margot James has been appointed the new Minister for Digital and Creative Industries. She met with a number of key games businesses in her former role as small business minister where she was very supportive of the Leamington Spa games cluster.

“That role will provide fantastic context for supporting a UK games industry with over 2,200 companies across the country, the vast majority of which are growing SMEs. We look forward to working together over the coming parliament to make the UK the best place to make and play games.”

Tweeting about her new role, James said she “really appreciate the opportunity” and that she had an “amazing first day”:

An amazing first day and a half as Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, I really appreciate the opportunity and I know I’ve got big shoes to fill @MattHancock pic.twitter.com/kCfxJjIqs7

— Margot James (@margot_james_) January 10, 2018