Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox official post The secretary of state for culture, media and sport, also referred to as the culture secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for strategy and policy across the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The office has been dubbed "Minister of Fun".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:PoliticsUK

Responsibilities

The secretary has overall responsibility for strategy and policy across the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.<ref name=":0" /> Responsibilities include:<ref name=":0" />

Arts and Culture
Broadcasting
Creative industries
Creative Industries Council
Cultural property, heritage and the historic environment
Cultural Renewal Taskforce
Culture, sports and arts sector recovery from COVID-19
Gambling and racing
Libraries
Media ownership and mergers
Museums and galleries
The National Lottery
Sport
Tourism

History

The office was created in 1992 by Prime Minister John Major, as Secretary of State for National Heritage.<ref>The Transfer of Functions (National Heritage) Order 1992.</ref> In his autobiography, Major says that, before the office was created, responsibility for cultural interests was shared among various departments, but important to none of them.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> For instance, arts and libraries, although a separate department, had no minister in the Cabinet, sport was part of the Department for Education, film was part of the Department of Trade and Industry, broadcasting was part of the Home Office, tourism was part of the Department for Employment and heritage was part of the Department of the Environment.<ref name=":1" /> He also wrote that the system tended to favour the interests of the articulate and well-connected London-based arts lobby.<ref name=":1" />

Thus, when he became Prime Minister, Major said that he saw that the only way to give culture and sport the higher profile that he thought that they deserved was to establish a new department, under a minister of Cabinet rank, to bring together all aspects of the arts, sport and heritage.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

List of secretaries of state

Secretary of State for National Heritage (1992–1997)

Secretary of State		Term of office		Party	Prime Minister
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	David Mellor Template:Small	11 April 1992	22 September 1992	Conservative	rowspan=4 style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	John Major
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	Peter Brooke Template:Small	25 September 1992	20 July 1994	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	Stephen Dorrell Template:Small	20 July 1994	5 July 1995	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	Virginia Bottomley Template:Small	5 July 1995	2 May 1997	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	Chris Smith Template:Small	2 May 1997	22 July 1997	Labour	style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	Tony Blair