Paul Scully has been named as the UK’s latest gambling minister after the Sunak Ministry confirmed its first cabinet reshuffle.
The MP for Sutton and Cheam since the General Election of 2015, Scully has been appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Tech and the Digital Economy, with the gambling industry falling into his jurisdiction – including the National Lottery and the Gambling Act review.
Also continuing his duties as a Minister for London, Scully replaces Damian Collins in the Gambling Ministerial role after just three months at the helm, reflecting a hectic period in British politics which has seen three PMs in fewer than eight weeks.
Collins replaced Chris Philp, who took on the newly created role in 2021, before becoming Chief Secretary to the Treasury in the short-lived Truss Ministry.
Taking to Twitter, Scully remarked on his new role: “I’m excited to get stuck into my new role as Minister for Tech at DCMS and delighted to continue the work with so many friends as Minister for London.”
PM Sunak re-appointed Michelle Donelan as Secretary of State for DCMS, who replaced Boris Johnson loyalist Nadine Dorries in September after Johnson’s departure from Number 10.
Micheal Dugher, CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, congratulated Donelan on her re-appointment to her seat at the cabinet table, whilst also welcoming Scully to his new role.
Making a statement on the latest ministerial change, Dugher remarked: “On behalf of the 119,000 people whose jobs are supported by our members – from the high street to hospitality, from tourism to world-leading British tech – I’d like to congratulate both Paul Scully MP on his new role and Michelle Donelan MP on her re-appointment as Secretary of State for DCMS.
“We are ready to work with DCMS to help find carefully targeted, proportionate measures which achieve the right balance,” he added.
“We want to continue to drive big changes and drive higher standards on safer gambling to better protect the most vulnerable, whilst at the same time ensuring that the 22.5 million punters who enjoy a flutter each month, perfectly safely and responsibly, have the freedom to do so.
“I’d also like to pay tribute to Damian Collins MP, the widely respected outgoing minister who was leading on the Review, for his willingness to engage with the industry and understand the contribution we make to the economy.”
Once settled into their role, Scully and his DCSM boss Donelan will find themselves under pressure from stakeholders to publish the Gambling Act Review White Paper, which has been in the pipeline for a long time and was reportedly set for imminent publishing when Boris Johnson announced his resignation back in July.
Also on Scully’s plate will be the handover of the UK National Lottery license set for transfer from Camelot to Allwyn after the former dropped its legal action against the UK Gambling Commission’s decision to award the Czech-based firm the licence for decade ahead.