New PM Rishi Sunak has appointed former Defra minister Thérèse Coffey as the secretary of state for the environment, food and rural affairs.
Coffey, MP for Suffolk Coastal, is the ninth Defra secretary since 2010. She replaces Ranil Jayawardena, MP for Northeast Hampshire, who was appointed by now-departed PM Liz Truss.
The politician previously served under Theresa May as a parliamentary under-secretary of state at Defra from 2016 – 2019 and then as minister of state for the environment and rural opportunity in the department from July to September 2019.
The NFU tweeted following her appointment, “Congratulations to Thérèse Coffey on being appointed the new Defra Secretary of State.
“We look forward to working with you to ensure British Farming can continue to thrive and supply the nation with high-quality, climate-friendly food.”
Congratulations to @theresecoffey on being appointed the new @DefraGovUK Secretary of State.
We look forward to working with you to ensure British farming can continue to thrive and supply the nation with high-quality, climate-friendly food.#BackBritishFarming
— National Farmers' Union (@NFUtweets) October 25, 2022
Under former prime minster Liz Truss, Coffey served as deputy prime minister and secretary of state for health.
Coffey has a mixed voting record on environmental issues, generally voting against measures to prevent climate change and consistently voting for selling England’s state-owned forests.
She has in the past expressed support for the nature-based farming schemes, where she said: “Nature-based solutions really are the best and most cost-effective way to tackle climate change, with multiple benefits for the environment and communities.”
Other important appointments to the Cabinet in regard to the food industry include Grant Shapps as business secretary, replacing Jacob Rees-Mogg, while Kemi Badenoch continues in the position of international trade secretary.
