New energy minister appointed
Published 15 April 2024
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A former work and pensions minister has replaced Graham Stuart in the energy portfolio.
Justin Tomlinson has been appointed as a minister of state in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) following Stuart’s announcement that he was stepping down from the role to focus on his North Yorkshire constituency.
Tomlinson has had two spells in government since he was elected MP for North Swindon in 2010.
He held two roles in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) from 2018 to 2021, rising to minister of state.
The 47-year old also served in the DWP as parliamentary under secretary of state for disabled people from May 2015 until July 2016. Before joining the government, Tomlinson was parliamentary private secretary to digital minister Ed Vaizey.
As minister of state, Tomlinson will effectively be the secretary of state’s number two within DESNZ.
A business graduate from Oxford Brookes University, he ran his own marketing business in Swindon, where he served on the local council as lead member for culture, leisure and recreation.
In a post on X, Tomlinson wrote: “As the father of young children I know that there are few things more important than the future of our planet. The UK has rightly led the way, becoming the first major economy to halve its emissions.
“I’ll be proud to play my part working with Claire Coutinho’s fantastic DESNZ team.”
However Tomlinson’ s constituency website doesn’t identify energy and climate among his priorities and he has had no roles relating these issues since becoming an MP in 2010.
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