Lisa Nandy stays on as UK culture secretary with BBC talks ahead
Downing Street says Nandy will remain in charge of the UK culture brief as major media decisions stack up.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Lisa Nandy is staying put as the UK’s culture secretary, Downing Street has announced, keeping her at the centre of several high-stakes decisions for Britain’s media and entertainment industries.
The decision by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham means Nandy will continue to lead the Department for Culture, Media and Sport after more than two years in the job. Deadline reported that she is now the longest-serving culture secretary since Jeremy Hunt, who held the role from 2010.
Nandy had been widely expected to move to another role in Burnham’s reshuffle, according to Deadline. The report said BBC director general Matt Brittin told staff on Monday that he believed the government could appoint a new culture secretary.
Instead, Nandy keeps the brief at a busy moment for film, television, tech platforms and public broadcasting in the UK.
A packed media agenda
One of Nandy’s immediate issues is whether the government should formally intervene in Paramount’s proposed $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, Deadline reported.
The deal has already drawn attention in Britain, where lawmakers are heading into the summer break and questions remain over how the transaction could be handled under UK rules.
Nandy will also have a central role in the BBC’s next chapter. The corporation is in talks with the government over a new charter, the agreement that sets out how the broadcaster operates for years at a time.
Another policy item on her desk is planned legislation that would require YouTube and TikTok to promote public service programming from the BBC and other broadcasters, according to Deadline.
BBC support, with caveats
Nandy has publicly backed the BBC, while also raising concerns about recent controversies at the broadcaster. Deadline cited her misgivings over the Huw Edwards and MasterChef misconduct scandals, as well as editorial questions including the Glastonbury Gaza crisis.
She has described the BBC as a “light on the hill” during a period of disinformation and has said she wants it to have a “sustainable long-term funding model” as part of charter renewal.
The broadcaster is also expected to have a familiar figure close to the new prime minister. James Purnell, a former BBC policy and audio chief, will serve as Burnham’s chief of staff, Deadline reported.
Some in the entertainment industry would have preferred a change at the top of the department, according to Deadline, which reported that senior industry figures have described Nandy as distant from the sector.
For now, Burnham has opted for continuity. That leaves Nandy to handle a run of decisions that could shape the UK media business, from the BBC’s funding future to the fate of one of Hollywood’s biggest proposed takeovers.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.