It has been two weeks since Labour were announced as the new government. But, despite a slew of appointments, including Lisa Nandy as the Secretary of State for the Department of Media, Culture and Sport, there is still no sign of a civil society minister. So where are they?
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The scenario

Lets set the scene.

In its manifesto published in mid-June, the Labour party pledged to consult with the charity sector in developing policies and introducing legislation in areas including employment, child poverty, the environment and animal welfare.

“Government is at its best when working in partnership with business, trade unions, civil society, faith groups, and communities,” it states, adding: “but without a shared project those partnerships barely get off the ground”.

And in January Labour leader, now Prime Minister, Keir Starmer signalled that he wanted to see greater involvement of charities in decision making through a “renewed social contract”.
Citing culture war attacks on the work of charities including the RNLI by right wing politicians, Starmer added that “the relationship between government and civil society needs a reset”.

But what does this reset entail? Under the last Conservative government, the role of civil society minister was diluted further than ever before.

Stuart Andrew was appointed into the role ten days after being made a parliamentary under-secretary of state at DCMS. He had the responsibility for working with not only civil society, but also as minister for sport, tourism, youth and ceremonial events, in addition to heritage and sport and minister for equalities.

If the new government wants to work closely with civil society, it's likely the role will need a revamp – one person cannot effectively cover a remit enough for two or three ministers.

The suspects

Lillian Greenwood
When the government won the election on 5 July 2024, many thought that former shadow civil society minister Lillian Greenwood would take on the mantle. Instead, she became the parliamentary under-secretary of state for the future of roads for the Department of Transport.

This left questions about who would take up the vacant role. This departed from the norm where, typically, many shadow ministers simply sidestepped into the role after the change of government. Greenwood had established relationships with the sector, will the next minister have to start from scratch?

A charity sector expert
It wouldn’t be unprecedented for Starmer to bring in someone who is not an MP into the role. James Timpson and Patrick Vallance were appointed as prisons and science ministers respectively. Their experience in their fields made them ideal candidates for the roles and with a strong history of advocates and individuals within the sector, this wouldn’t be unsurprising.

An as-yet unnamed MP

During the general election, the Labour party won 411 seats – and there’s every chance one of these MPs will take on the civil society ministerial role. Historically the DCMS has consisted of three junior ministers and only two have been announced thus far, leaving space for another. There is also the option for a minister of state; a senior role to the under-secretaries for state, which would send a message to the sector that they will be listened to.

A likely candidate
The most likely candidate is the newly elected member of Parliament for Barnsley South, Stephanie Peacock. She has been appointed a parliamentary under-secretary of state for DCMS – as of now with no remit.

Sources have said that she has been given the civil society and youth brief, but this is not being announced until the Lords Minister for the department has been announced. DCMS have not confirmed or denied the potential appointment and told Charity Times: “Ministerial portfolios will be confirmed in due course”.

The question is: will this be Peacock’s only remit or will she, like Andrew under the last government, be pulled in a number of different directions?

The case is still open

As of the time of writing, there is no indication when there will be an announcement.

Parliament breaks up for summer recess on 30 July, leaving less than six working days if announcements are going to be made before then. MPs won’t sit in the house of commons again until 2 September, where they then only sit until 12 September for party conference season. Time is limited, so our eyes will be peeled for any clues.

As of now, the case of the missing civil society minister is still open. Watch this space to see when it may be solved.

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