South East Cambridgeshire MP Lucy Frazer appointed to Cabinet as culture secretary

Lucy Frazer, the MP for South East Cambridgeshire, has joined the Cabinet as the new culture secretary as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled a reshuffle and restructure of government departments.

It is her most senior role to date - and her fourth post in six months, having previously been appointed Minister of State in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on October 26, 2022.

Ms Frazer had a brief spell as Minister of State at the Department for Transport from September 7, and previously worked with former Chancellor Mr Sunak as Financial Secretary to the Treasury, a role she took up on September 16, 2021.

It comes as Mr Sunak restructures the business, trade and culture departments into four different ministries in moves aimed at boosting economic growth and addressing the energy crisis in his shake-up.

Ms Frazer, who becomes the 14th person to hold the role since 2010, replaces Michelle Donelan, who moves from culture to the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has now been shorn of its responsibility for digital technology, and will instead focus on the creative arts and sport.

Grant Shapps, who had been business secretary, will now be the secretary of state for the new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Saffron Walden MP Kemi Badenoch, who was international trade secretary, will now lead the joint Department for Business and Trade.

The Prime Minister replaced sacked Tory party chairman Nadhim Zahawi with Greg Hands, who had been trade minister.

Prior to working at the Treasury, Ms Frazer served as Minister of State in the Ministry of Justice from September 10-16, 2021, and from July 25, 2019 to March 2, 2021.

In earlier roles, she served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice from January 9, 2018, to May 9, 2019, and was Solicitor General from March 2, 2021 to September 10, 2021, and from May 9, 2019 to July 25, 2019.

Ms Frazer has been the Conservative MP For South East Cambridgeshire since May 2015.

Prior to becoming an MP, she practised as a barrister and was appointed as Queen's Counsel in 2013. She went to the University of Cambridge, where she met her husband, David.