Former health minister Nadine Dorries has been appointed the new culture secretary, replacing Oliver Dowden.

The Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire is the tenth culture secretary in 10 years.

Meanwhile, Caroline Dinenage MP has been removed as minister for Digital and Culture and Julia Lopez has been appointed as a minister of State for Media.

Dorries was previously appointed minister of state at the Department of Health and Social Care in May 2020, having been promoted from parliamentary under secretary of state in the department.

The 64-year-old entered politics in 2000 having previously worked as a nurse. She worked as a special adviser to Oliver Letwin, the then shadow chancellor, before being elected in 2005.

A published author, Dorries was suspended by the Conservative Party in 2012 following her decision to take part in filming ITV1’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here in Australia without first asking permission. She was the first contestant to be voted off the show.

Dorries is reportedly a strong supporter of prime minister Boris Johnson but made clear her distain for former Conservative Party leader David Cameron and chancellor George Osborne, referring to them as “arrogant posh boys who don’t know the price of milk”.

Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, CEO at Music industry campaigning and lobbying group UK Music, welcomed Dorries’ appointment describing her as a “brilliant and dedicated minister”.

Said Njoku-Goodwin, “UK Music has already had some excellent engagement with Nadine in recent months on the vital issue of music and health and wellbeing – we look forward to working closely with her in her new role to support and champion the UK music industry as a whole.”

Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment (LIVE), a federation of 13 live music industry associations, issued the following statement: “Congratulations to Nadine Dorries. We are looking forward to working with her and the great team at DCMS to support our world-leading live music industry through our recovery so we can bounce back even stronger than before.”

Former Digital, Culture, Media and Sport secretary Oliver Dowden has been appointed as co-chairman of the Conservative Party.