Rishi Sunak unveiled four new government departments as part of his cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday (7 February). Alongside the creation of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Business and Trade, the Prime Minister chose to create a standalone ministry overseeing science, innovation and technology (SIT). The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), now shorn of its digital responsibilities, will be known simply as CMS.
While the reshuffle has been largely viewed as a damp squib, the government hopes the reorganisation will prove significant for its technology sector ambitions. Both Sunak and the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, have said that tech will be key to the future of the nation’s economy. Hunt used a speech last month to reiterate his desire, first stated in November’s autumn statement, to make the UK home to the “world’s next Silicon Valley”.
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