Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2010/06/18/lane_fox_cameron/

New leader, same old job for Martha Lane Fox

David Cameron appoints Digital Champion as Digital Champion

By Joe Fay

Posted in Legal, 18th June 2010 14:11 GMT

Number 10 announced today that Martha Lane Fox had been appointed the UK's Digital Champion, apparently forgetting this is a job which was created for her by the previous government.

David Cameron has given the former online ticket flogger a remit "to encourage as many people as possible to go online, and improving the convenience and efficiency of public services by driving online delivery".

He wants her to work "specifically on initiatives such as the Race Online 2012 campaign and the transformation of Directgov, the government’s portal for online public services".

Sounds like a tough job, buy we're sure Lane Fox is up to it. After all, up until the other week she was Digital Champion, appointed by Gordon Brown with a remit to whip the UK's digital refuseniks onto the internet.

Brown subsequently put her in charge of the Digital Public Service Unit as well, but Cameron scrapped that last week. But at least that freed her up to do the other job she was already doing.

Cameron has helpfully published his "offer letter" to Lane Fox on the Number 10 website, which is all part of his new transparent way of government.

He asks her to focus on key three areas: "Contributing to the Government's work on behavioural change", "Advising Government on how efficiencies can best be realised through the online delivery of public services" and, er, there doesn't seem to be a third one after all.

He must have accidentally deleted it, just as he appears to have deleted that chunk of Lane Fox's CV where she was working with his predecessor in the job Cameron has just "offered" her.

Maybe Lane Fox's first job will be showing Dave how to use cut and paste. That way he can avoid charges that he's simply re-announcing previously announced initiatives. Just like he used to accuse his predecessor of doing. ®