Stephanie Peacock MP appointed as tourism minister

Stephanie Peacock has been appointed as tourism minister, taking over the responsibilities held by Sir Chris Bryant.

Bryant, who had overseen tourism in his role as minister of state for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, was transferred to the Department for Business and Trade on September 6.

Peacock was appointed as minister for sport, tourism, civil society and youth yesterday (September 11), having been minister for sport, media, civil society and youth since July 9 last year.

She was elected as the MP for Barnsley East in 2017 and has represented Barnsley South since 2024.

Previously, she taught history in a secondary school before working in adult education across Yorkshire.

She studied history at Queen Mary University of London and received a master’s degree from University College London. 

A keen runner, she completed the London Marathon in 2019.

Bryant, who had been responsible for tourism since July 8 last year, has again been appointed to a minister of state role in his new department.

An Abta spokesperson said: “We will be writing to Stephanie Peacock to congratulate her on her new role as tourism minister and highlight the value the outbound travel industry brings to the UK.

“As a sector which generates £52bn per year for the UK economy and supports 818,000 jobs, we’ll be raising with the minister the priorities for our sector, in particular those relating to UK-EU relations, such as a new youth experience scheme.

“We thank Chris Bryant for his work as tourism minister, particularly the recognition he offered for the importance of the outbound tourism sector.”

UKinbound, a trade association representing the inbound visitor economy, welcomed Peacock’s appointment.

Joss Croft, the body’s chief executive, said: “We are pleased to see Stephanie take up this vitally important position in government and we look forward to working closely with her in the coming months.

“Her appointment comes at a pivotal moment for our industry, as the UK government prepares to launch its new tourism strategy.

“I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to the outgoing minister Sir Chris Bryant MP. He was a consistent supporter of the sector and worked closely with industry stakeholders to ensure our collective voice was heard.”

Peacock’s appointment came after Bryant’s role was changed as part of a Labour reshuffle following the resignation of Angela Rayner as deputy prime minister.