Ed Vaizey appointed minister for digital industries following cabinet reshuffle
UK culture minister Ed Vaizey has been appointed minister for digital industries following a reshuffle in the Conservative cabinet and will now head up both roles simultaneously.
David Cameron announced the news in a tweet earlier this afternoon.
Ed Vaizey has been promoted to Minister of State @DCMS and @bisgovuk with responsibility for digital industries. #reshuffle
— UK Prime Minister (@Number10gov) July 15, 2014
It’s not yet clear what the new role will entail – the press office for the MP was unable to comment at the time of writing.
The executive director of the Direct Marketing Association, Chris Combemale, welcomed the appointment and urged him to take action on EU data protection reforms.
“Mr Vaizey’s promotion is great news for the UK’s burgeoning data-driven economy. During his time at DCMS, Mr Vaizey proved to be a champion of the one-to-one marketing industry and digital innovation.
“The digital industries are built on data, so the EU’s proposed Data Protection Regulation could cost the UK’s economy billions if passed into law in its current form. We urge that Mr Vaizey works closely with Simon Hughes, his counterpart in the Ministry of Justice, to ensure that the interests of UK businesses that depend on data for one-to-one marketing to drive sales are well represented at a European level.”
As UK culture minister Vaizey was responsible for the introduction of 4G and the rural broadband programme.