In a shift of roles, Grimsby Town's proprietor has been appointed as the new Investment Minister, replacing Poppy Gustafsson in the post.
In a series of notable moves, the UK political and business landscapes have witnessed significant shifts.
Jason Stockwood, the vice chair of Grimsby Town, has been appointed as the UK's new Investment Minister. Stockwood, a former boss of dating website Match.com, made the transition after taking over Grimsby Town with fellow entrepreneur Andrew Pettit in 2021. As he prepares to take up his new role, Stockwood is stepping back from the club's board and day-to-day responsibilities at Blundell Park.
The appointment of Stockwood follows the resignation of Poppy Gustafsson, who had been serving as the Investment Minister for 11 months. Gustafsson, the co-founder and former CEO of cybersecurity giant Darktrace, stepped down from her role and will be replaced by Jill Popelka. Notably, Gustafsson had been low-key in her role as Investment Minister, with no posts on LinkedIn in the past seven months.
Gustafsson's departure from the Investment Minister role coincides with her stepping down as CEO of Darktrace. However, she has left the company on a high note, having received an OBE for services to cybersecurity in 2019 and being promoted to CBE in the 2025 New Year Honours.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, Poppy Gustafsson was handed a life peerage and made Baroness Gustafsson. This move is part of a ministerial reshuffle by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Elsewhere, Reform UK candidate Dame Andrea Jenkyns won the bid to become the first elected mayor of Greater Lincolnshire.
In other business news, a high-profile figure who raised £300m+ has joined Space Forge. The exact identity of this individual was not disclosed.
Lastly, it's worth noting that a third Liverpool agency has closed in the past three months, although this event is not directly related to the earlier bullet points.
In a less positive development, Angela Rayner has resigned due to her failure to pay £40,000 of stamp duty when purchasing a flat in Hove.
Finally, in the realm of political appointments, Liz Kendall has become the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology. Kendall, a British Labour politician, has been an MP for Leicester West since 2010 and previously served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. She succeeded Peter Kyle, who became the Business Secretary in 2025.
