Jane Hunt takes over hospitality minister role in government reshuffle

Jane Hunt has been appointed as business minister with responsibility for sectors including hospitality, nightclubs and weddings as the government reshuffle continues.

She replaces Paul Scully, who has been moved to a role as minister of state at the department for levelling up, housing and communities. He remains minister for London.

Boris Johnson has been forging ahead with a reshuffle of government positions despite announcing his intention to step down as prime minister last week.

Hunt has been MP for Loughborough since 2019. Before entering parliament she worked in commercial business for 15 years then moved into the civil service and charity work.

She has been parliamentary private secretary to the Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster since September 2021.

Responding to a tweet announcing Hunt's appointment, UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls tweeted: "Congratulations and look forward to working with @JaneMHunt on hospitality strategy and consumer affairs."

Following the announcement that Scully was moving roles, Nicholls wrote: "[Sorry] to lose you as Minister for hospitality but look forward to continuing to work with you on levelling up and high street regeneration as well as London."

Scully was responsible for hospitality from 2020 and 2022 as the industry struggled to deal with a series of lockdowns and coronavirus restrictions.

During this time, he met with petitioners calling for a dedicated minister for hospitality and co-chaired a hospitality council, which includes members such as Prezzo chair Karen Jones, to support the recovery of the sector.

Nigel Huddleston has been responsible for the tourism sector at the department for digital, culture, media, and sport since 2020.

No 10 Downing Street has been approached for comment.

Image credit: https://members.parliament.uk