Chemical engineer Chris McDonald has been appointed as construction minister, taking on responsibilities within the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), after being elected as an MP just over a year ago.
He replaces Sarah Jones, who has moved to the Home Office as part of a government reshuffle triggered by the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner earlier this month.
McDonald was CEO of the Materials Processing Institute in Tees Valley before being elected MP for Stockton North last July. His energy responsibilities include carbon leakage, energy sector supply chains, energy infrastructure investments, green jobs and growth sectors, and industrial decarbonisation.
The reshuffle has also resulted in Chester MP Samantha Dixon taking over as building safety minister at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Previously a government whip, she replaces Alex Norris, who has moved to the Home Office.
Dixon’s responsibilities include the Building Safety Regulator and remediation, energy efficiency, fire, planning casework, and the response to the Grenfell Inquiry.
Scottish MP Martin McCluskey has been appointed minister for energy consumers, and his responsibilities will include: business and commercial buildings decarbonisation; clean heat and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme; domestic energy efficiency; fuel poverty; heat networks; public sector decarbonisation; and the forthcoming Warm Homes Plan.
Rutherglen MP Michael Shanks, meanwhile, has been promoted from parliamentary under-secretary at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to minister of state. His remit has been expanded to include carbon capture and hydrogen, which were previously part of the joint business and energy portfolio.
