Carter govt exit confirmed
By politics.co.uk staff
Communications minister Stephen Carter will leave the government this summer, in the first resignation announcement since Gordon Brown’s reshuffle.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Bis), of which Lord Carter is a junior minister following this month’s shakeup, insisted his decision to leave had always been planned.
Lord Carter is putting the finishing touches on his Digital Britain report, which he will unveil in full tomorrow alongside Gordon Brown, culture, media and sport secretary Ben Bradshaw and business secretary Peter Mandelson.
“He will then put in place a detailed implementation plan before the summer recess,” a Bis statement said.
“We can confirm that he will step down at summer recess with the completion of his work, as originally intended and with the full agreement of the prime minister.”
Lord Carter is thought to be interested in returning to the private sector, possibly to push for the soon-to-be-vacant ITV chief executive job.
The former city PR boss was recruited to No 10 in January 2008 as the prime minister’s strategy and principal advisor.
He left Downing Street last year, reportedly after falling out with subsequently fired Damian McBride, to take on the Digital Britain brief.
