New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has appointed Suffolk MP Thérèse Coffey as Defra Secretary in his first Cabinet.
Dr Coffey, who served as a Defra Minister from 2016 to 2019, held the dual roles as Health Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister during Liz Truss’s brief stint as Prime Minister. A close ally and friend of Ms Truss, she ran her election campaign.
Elected as MP for Suffolk Coastal in 2010, Dr Coffey served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2019 to 2022.
She replaces Ranil Jayawardena who has left the Government after an equally brief stint as Defra Secretary, during which he hinted at a review of some the Department’s key post-Brexit policies and its general direction, particularly as far as the environment is concerned.
With his extensive Cabinet reshuffle complete, seeing a number of well-known names return to top jobs, Mr Sunak will turn his attention to the junior Ministerial positions, including Farming Minister, a role currently held by Mark Spencer, over the next day or two.
Reaction
NFU President Minette Batters said congratulated Dr Coffey on her appointment and thanked Ranil Jayawardena for his work during his term at Defra.
“This is a crucial time for the country and I look forward to discussing some of the solutions British farming can bring to the table when it comes to growing our economy by producing more climate-friendly food for markets at home and overseas. British food and farming is currently worth more than £100 billion to the nation’s economy and has the potential to deliver so much more, in particular in our fight against climate change,” she said.
“We are at a pivotal time for agriculture policy. I look forward to working with the new Secretary of State to provide urgent clarity for farmers and growers on the new Environmental Land Management schemes to ensure they can deliver a thriving food and farming sector, alongside and equal to continued environmental protection and enhancement.”
Country Land and Business Association president Mark Tufnell said” “We warmly welcome Dr Thérèse Coffey to her new role, in a department with which she is already well familiar having served there in 2016 – 2019.
“Her in-tray is already full. The UK Government’s flagship Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes set out an ambitious and welcome direction. However many farmers are yet to be convinced the schemes are right for their business, not helped by very poor communication from Ministers about their intentions for the schemes through the recent political chaos.
“We call on Dr Coffey to work quickly to improve the schemes – not least by fast-tracking key elements of SFI standards and announcing measures for 2023 and beyond. This will give farmers the confidence they desperately need that ELM can help them feed the nation as well as help to improve the natural environment.
“The previous Government created a new role of Minister of Rural Economic Growth. It was an important move that recognised the enormous economic potential of rural businesses. It is vital that this role is maintained, giving Government a laser-like focus on removing the many barriers to starting and growing a business in rural communities.”