Jonathan Reynolds has been appointed secretary of state for business, innovation, science and trade, returning to the department he led at the start of Sir Keir Starmer’s government, as new prime minister Andy Burnham scraps the standalone science and technology department just three years after its creation.
The appointment hands Reynolds a substantially enlarged empire. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), created under Rishi Sunak in 2023, has been abolished, with the bulk of its responsibilities folded into the new super-ministry. According to the Financial Times, officials had been asked to move remaining functions to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, with oversight of AI in the public sector passing to cabinet secretary Antonia Romeo rather than a minister.
Reynolds held the business and trade brief from July 2024 until last September, when he handed the role to Peter Kyle and became chief whip, a job he made little secret of not enjoying. His first spell was defined by trade agreement negotiations and the emergency legislation that secured the future of British Steel’s blast furnaces, and he built strong relationships with employers and trade unions along the way.
For business owners, the return of a known quantity will be welcome. The manner of his arrival is another matter. Scrapping DSIT sparked a revolt among tech founders and investors within hours of the plans emerging, and the row now lands squarely on Reynolds’ desk.
The practical stakes are considerable. DSIT sponsored UKRI, the research funding body that sits above Innovate UK grants, as well as the Government Digital Service. All of that machinery now goes into flux just as firms are being urged to adopt AI and invest in innovation.
Support authors and subscribe to content
This is premium stuff. Subscribe to read the entire article.
