James Purnell, English politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
James Mark Dakin Purnell (born 2 March 1970) is a British broadcasting executive and former Labour Party politician who served as Work and Pensions Secretary and Culture Secretary in the Brown Government from 2007 to 2009. In October 2016, he became BBC's Director of Radio, in addition to his other role as the BBC's Director of Strategy and Digital, a job he had held since March 2013. In 2020 he left the BBC to become vice-chancellor of University of the Arts London.Purnell was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stalybridge and Hyde from the 2001 until the 2010 General Election. He served as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from 2007 to 2008 and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2008 to 2009. He resigned from the Government on 4 June 2009, criticising the leadership of Gordon Brown.
He became the director of the Open Left project for Demos in 2009. Purnell chaired the Institute for Public Policy Research until 2010, and was a senior advisor in the Public Sector practice of the Boston Consulting Group. He is also a film producer, and a former Senior Producer at Rare Day, who produced the film One Mile Away.