Of all those in Keir Starmer’s new cabinet, Lisa Nandy is the anomaly. Unlike most of her colleagues, who have been appointed straight from shadow roles, the culture secretary has not had months – or, in the case of Yvette Cooper, many years – to prepare.
Nandy has been appointed to the position out of the blue after Thangam Debbonaire, the former shadow culture secretary, lost her Bristol Central seat to the Greens in Thursday’s general election. Debbonaire, a former professional cellist, had an instinctive grasp of the arts portion of the brief, and was poised to embark on what she described as her dream job.
