Prime Minister David Cameron has named John Whittingdale MP as the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in his post election reshuffle.
Whittingdale replaces Sajid Javid who becomes Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Since 2005, Whittingdale has been chair of the Culture Select Committee, during which time he led the House of Commons investigation into the 2011 phonehacking scandal that had enveloped Rupert Murdoch’s News International.
Under the new Conservative government the BBC can expect a continued rough ride. There is the further prospect of top slicing the Licence Fee, which remains frozen at £145.50 until March 2017, and the handing of regulation to commercial TV’s regulator Ofcom.