New appointment to shadow ministers in Cabinet Office and DCMS
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has appointed Louise Haigh, the MP for Sheffield Heeley, as the party’s shadow digital minister, in a front bench position that indicates it will have a rising profile in the opposition’s policy priorities.
She will shadow Minister for Civil Service Reform Matt Hancock, who oversees the government’s digital services agenda from the Cabinet Office, and Ed Vaizey, responsible for digital economy issues with ministerial rank in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.
While the front bench status reflects the growing appreciation of the importance of digital technology to the economy, Haigh’s brief will also cover digital public services and the related issues around freedom of information, data protection and privacy.
“These issues will be of increasing importance in this parliament as we work to ensure that the digital revolution works for the interests of all in society and we navigate the line between privacy and security,” Haigh said on her website.
It is an early appearance on the front bench for Haigh, who was one of the newcomers to the House of Commons following the general election in May. She previously worked for insurance company Aviva on corporate governance and responsible investment and, according to her site, at an unnamed digital start-up company.
