The chair of the DCMS committee has described the lack of appointment of a new chair for Ofcom as a “soap opera”.
The statement from Julian Knight MP follows correspondence from the DCMS Permanent Secretary. In it Sarah Healey explains the process was restarted on 26 January 2022 for one week until 2 February 2022. “We are now confident that we have exhausted all possible opportunities to ensure the breadth and diversity of the candidate pool,” she said.
Julian Knight, chair of the DCMS committee, said the response and the Permanent Secretary’s refusal to give an update on the numbers of those being interviewed was “another instalment of suspense”.
“The Committee is not after a behind-the-scenes commentary on the appointment process, but this latest cliff-hanger from the DCMS Department – which cannot or will not even tell us how many people have applied to audition for the starring role – does make you wonder whether we are heading for a happy ending. According to the Permanent Secretary, all possible opportunities to get the best cast of characters for the next stage have now been exhausted. Anyone who has been following this long-drawn-out saga will know that feeling of exhaustion all too well.”
The process to appoint a new chair for the media regulator has been ongoing for over 18 months, hampered by the prime minister’s desire to install former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre in the role, one that he was initially rejected from, before ruling himself out of the role.
Subsequently, the post has been re-opened with the latest window being delayed to give candidates sufficient time to apply after Christmas.
