New UK Prime Minister Liz Truss appoints Michelle Donelan as Culture Secretary

New UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has appointed Michelle Donelan as Culture Secretary .

Donelan replaces Nadine Dorries, who resigned her position on Tuesday morning. Dorries, a former actor and novelist who was nominated by former prime minister Boris Johnson, said Truss asked him to stay on as culture secretary but declined the offer. She had been in office for less than a year.

Donelan, who previously served as Minister for Higher Education and Secretary for Education, will now be responsible for the digital, culture, media and sports department. One of the main things to consider will be whether to go ahead with the privatization of Channel 4, which Johnson and Dorries had committed to despite industry criticism of the move. , as well as the revision of BBC license fees. In addition to freezing licensing fees, which are a mandatory levy for anyone watching live TV on any network or device, Dorries had indicated that she hoped to eventually do away with it altogether.

Although he has appeared in many UK shows including "I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here" and "Tower Block of Commons", Dorries was almost universally hated in the television industry during her tenure, especially after a series of blunders. These apparently included not understanding how Channel 4 is funded (during a government committee she suggested it was taxpayer funded, when in fact it is funded by advertising, despite being publicly owned) and accusing Love Productions, the creators of "Tower Block of Commons" of rigging the unscripted show (Channel 4, which aired the show, discovered that was not the case after investigating ).

It remains to be seen whether Donelan, who dabbled in media and entertainment before becoming a politician, s nothing better will come of it. Donelan reportedly briefly worked for The History Channel and for Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment in the marketing department.

Last week, anticipating the change in management, producers' organization Pact sent out an open letter to Liz Truss demanding that she stop the privatization of Channel 4.

"We recognize that Channel 4 is not perfect, like all other organisations", the letter , which has been signed by more than 700 production companies, it reads. “However, advancing privatization plans in their current form would harm a thriving independent sector, deter voters and jeopardize Margaret Thatcher's legacy. We urge you to reconsider these plans. »

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