Cabinet shuffle: Uslu leaves to head Corendon, van Leeuwen to fill in for Schreinemacher

There was a Cabinet reshuffle on Thursday. State Secretary Gunay Uslu of Culture and Media announced her immediate departure to head Corendon. Later that day, the caretaker Cabinet announced that Geoffrey van Leeuwen, a senior advisor to Rutte, will replace Liesje Schreinemacher as the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation during her maternity leave, starting on Monday.

Gunay Uslu is leaving the Cabinet to lead the travel organization and family business Corendon. The D66 minister announced her decision on Thursday, stating she will leave on December 1 following an urgent appeal from the company.

Uslu expressed in a response that it was "not an easy decision" and one she did not take lightly. However, she said she feels a responsibility to make the move to Corendon. "My love for the cultural and creative sector will of course continue," she said in her letter announcing and explaining her departure. "Culture is crucial."

Vanochtend heb ik bij de Koning mijn ontslag ingediend als staatssecretaris van Cultuur en Media. Meer informatie staat in mijn brief. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/wrwUKYilrx

— Gunay Uslu (@GunayUslu) November 30, 2023

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on X he understands Uslu's decision. "Her tireless commitment to the cultural sector is widely appreciated." Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf of Education, Culture, and Science will temporarily take over her duties. A new D66 State Secretary is being sought for the remaining caretaker period of Rutte IV's Cabinet. The King has granted Uslu's resignation in the most honorable manner.

Uslu, a complete political outsider, joined Rutte IV in January 2022. Her background in cultural studies led to leadership roles in museums. She worked as a manager in the family business Corendon, founded by her brother, in the late nineties and again from 2014 to 2020.

As a State Secretary, Uslu did not make much of a splash in the media. She was a fairly invisible Cabinet member but was beloved in the cultural sector. In addition to cultural policy, she also managed media policy. In this portfolio, she almost immediately had to address the misconduct within the program The Voice. Later, Uslu also dealt with unsafe work cultures within De Wereld Draait Door and NOS Sport.

The minister drew the most attention to the challenges around the broadcasting company Ongehoord Nederland (ON!). Just this week, she finally made a decision on the NPO's request to withdraw the provisional recognition of the new broadcaster. Uslu set aside the request, seeing too little legal basis for such a decision, allowing ON! to continue broadcasting. However, Uslu repeatedly stated she found it uncomfortable as a politician to decide on the continuation of a broadcaster.

Rutte's advisor to fill in as Foreign Trade Minister during Schreinemacher's maternity leave

The caretaker Cabinet also announced on Thursday that Geoffrey van Leeuwen will replace Liesje Schreinemacher as the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation during her maternity leave. Van Leeuwen is a close advisor to Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and his appointment is seen as a surprising choice.

Aanstaande maandag ga ik met zwangerschapsverlof. Ik draag met alle vertrouwen mijn taken over aan Geoffrey van Leeuwen. Geoffrey, veel succes de komende maanden!

— Liesje Schreinemacher (@LSchreinemacher) November 30, 2023

The diplomat Van Leeuwen has been serving as an advisory councilor for Foreign Affairs and Defense in the Prime Minister's cabinet at the Ministry of General Affairs since October 2020. He joined from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, where he had previously held positions including Ambassador to Afghanistan and Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Schreinemacher will go on maternity leave on Monday. She is expected to return around mid-April if a new Cabinet has not been formed by then.

It was already clear that the VVD, her political party, did not want to temporarily place another Cabinet member in her position. Recently, VVD State Secretary Christophe van der Maat (Defense) temporarily replaced his party colleague and Justice Minister Eric van der Burg while he was ill. It was deemed too demanding for Minister Hanke Bruins Slot of Foreign Affairs to take on this role for an extended period, especially as she is from a different party, the CDA.

Van Leeuwen studied law in Leiden and later constitutional law at Sciences Politiques Paris. He also earned a master's degree from the University of Cambridge. He will be sworn in by the King Willem-Alexander on Monday.