The Liberal Democrats have named their new MP for Cheltenham, Max Wilkinson, as the party spokesperson for Culture, Media & Sport, ending the 4-year tenure of MP for Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross, Jamie Stone. Less than one day after the end of the Liberal Democrat Party Conference in Brighton, where the party celebrated winning 72 MPs in the 2024 General Election, a reshuffle of the new MPs has seen a change at the top of the party structures, including for Arts & Theatre causes.
After unseating the former Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk, Wilkinson has found himself surging through the party structure to now be a frontbench member of Sir Ed Davey’s team, and following the Parliamentary recess, will be charged with questioning ministers from the Department of Culture, Media & Sport, and holding Secretary of State Lisa Nandy to account. His appointment comes amid a raft of reshuffles in the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary team, including appointing deputy leader Daisy Cooper to the Treasury portfolio from Health & Social Care, Lisa Smart being given Home Affairs, and Calum Miller Foreign Affairs.
The new Spokesperson for Culture, Media & Sport Max Wilkinson MP was elected to Parliament for the first time in July, having served for ten years on Cheltenham Borough Council, spending much of his time focusing on affordable housing issues. Before entering politics, Wilkinson spent his early career in journalism, as well as a freelance sports reporter. He then spent a period managing communications for the prestigious Cheltenham Ladies College.
The new appointment, and reshuffle, has deposed former Culture, Media & Sport spokesperson Jamie Stone MP, who has not been allocated another portfolio in the Liberal Democrat frontbench team. Stone had held this portfolio consistently since September 2020, bringing his term over the issue to an end just over four years after his initial appointment. He will now sit as one of the 72 Liberal Democrat MPs elected in the 2024 Parliament, alongside just over 50% of the Liberal Democrat parliamentarians who also have no portfolio. It also marks a seismic shift in the party structure, with over half of Davey’s former frontbench team now without a party role, including former Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran, Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael and Energy & Climate Change Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse. Some of these, including Stone, Moran and Carmichael have been appointed as Chairs of Select Committees, meaning they can no longer hold spokesperson positions.
With such a significant shift in the Liberal Democrat structure, just one day after all 72 MPs were dancing together on stage in Brighton, it remains to be seen what effect, if any, this will have on the party’s position both in Parliament and in the polls. Will Davey’s raft of fresh faces continue the momentum they built up just two months ago, or will this mark a strong misstep in the leadership, still joyous with success? We will have to wait until after the Conference Recess to find out.
The full list of Liberal Democrat Spokespeople in Parliament can be found here
