John Interviewed on the Future of UK Media
John was recently interviewed by Amal Rajan at the Radio Academy Festival for the BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show. In a wide-ranging interview, John was asked about his thoughts on the future of public broadcasting and the licence fee, the growing influence of podcasts and the role of big tech platforms in British media. […]
Maldon Moves Into Tier 3
The decision to place most of Essex in Tier 3 is a huge disappointment but sadly was unavoidable. All of us had hoped that when our Tier 2 status was due to be reviewed on 16th December, it would be possible to relax the restrictions. However, the figures that I saw at an emergency meeting […]
Many Happy (Rovers) Returns!
As part of his ministerial duties, John responded on behalf of the government to a recent adjournment debate in the House of Commons to mark the 60th birthday of the nation’s favourite soap opera, Coronation Street. Click here to see the speech. Happy birthday, Corrie!
December Covid Update
I have been contacted by a large number of constituents about the change in lockdown arrangements after 2 December. Many are understandably concerned about what the new tier system will mean for their business or if they will now be able to visit a loved one at a care home, whilst some remain sceptical about the need for […]
Covid19 Statement
The Coronavirus-19 Pandemic is the greatest threat to Public Health that we have seen in our lifetimes. The Prime Minister has rightly described it as a National Emergency and the measures that have been introduced to tackle it are unprecedented. However, the scientific advice, based on the experience in other countries, is that these are […]
Cultural recovery fund grants for Maldon
It is fantastic that Maldon District Council has been awarded £40,000 from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage with a further £40,000 going to help restore St Mary’s Church, Mundon. We are very lucky to have wonderful heritage assets in the District and this money will help us get through the current challenges and […]
G20 meeting
John Whittingdale represented the UK at the recent G20 summit on the digital economy to discuss harnessing digital technologies to realize opportunities of the 21st century for all. In 2020, the G20 Digital Economy Task Force (DETF) brought together all G20 members as well as guest countries. Saudi Arabia also invited the Organisation for Economic Co-operation […]
New committee for journalists’ safety promises national action plan as first priority
every country, journalists perform a vital function in highlighting injustice, exposing corruption and holding Governments to account. A free media is one of the essential bulwarks of a free society. However, too often, journalists are subject to intimidation, violence, imprisonment and sometimes even murder. One year ago, the UK Government hosted the first Global Conference […]
John Whittingdale appointed Minister of State for Media and Data in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
John Whittingdale was appointed Minister of State for Media and Data in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. He said “I was delighted to accept the Prime Minister’s invitation to re-join the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as Minister of State responsible for Media and Data. Having served as chairman of […]
Great British Spring Clean
John Whittingdale has pledged his support for this year’s Great British Spring Clean, run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy. The campaign, which runs from March 20th to April 13th, will see up to 600,000 people taking action to clean up streets, parks and beaches across the country. The Great British Spring Clean, run by […]