APPG News

When MPs and Lords returned in the early summer, CMF's Jayne Kirkham rebuilt the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children's Media and the Arts.

As the new Parliament got under way, with many new faces and some of the APPG's supporters and officers taking ministerial roles, it took a lot of behind the scenes work to establish which MP's had an interest in media, the arts and children, then it took time gather these new supporters and organise an AGM to elect officers - before the Parliamentary deadlines for constitution of an APPG ran out.

But we made it, and the AGM in early July elected Conor Burns MPas the new co-chair along with previous Chair Baroness Benjamin.

Also elected were three vice chairs: Andrew Rosindell MP (Conservative) and John Nicolson MP who is the SNP Culture Media and Sport spokesperson) and Tom Watson (Labour) who is the official Opposition representative.

As Tom Watson subsequently became Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, I am now seeking out another Labour MP to take his place.

Plans for information meetings in Parliament are progressing and in the meantime we'll keep the group informed of kids' media issues through a regular newsletter.

Jayne recently returned from lobbying at the Conservative Party Conference - at which she met the Culture Secretary, John Whittingdale. She is now in the process of setting up a meeting for CMF representatives to discuss the Charter Review White Paper and Contestable Funding with him.