Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, also referred to as the environment secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.

United Kingdom
Secretary of State
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Incumbent
Steve Reed
since 5 July 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
StyleEnvironment Secretary
(informal)
The Right Honourable
(within the UK and Commonwealth)
TypeMinister of the Crown
StatusSecretary of State
Member of
Reports toThe Prime Minister
SeatWestminster
NominatorThe Prime Minister
AppointerThe Monarch
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Formation
  • 15 October 1970:
    (as Secretary of State for the Environment)
  • 8 June 2001:
    (as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
First holderPeter Walker
(as Secretary of State for the Environment)
Salary£159,038 per annum (2022)[1]
(including £86,584 MP salary)[2]
Websiteww2.defra.gov.uk

The office holder works alongside the other Defra ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs.

Responsibilities

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The secretary of state has two main responsibilities at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to:

  • bear overall responsibility for all departmental issues.
  • lobby for the United Kingdom in other international negotiations on sustainable development and climate change.

List of environment secretaries

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Secretaries of state for the environment (1970–1997)

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Secretary of State[3] Term of office Party Ministry
  Peter Walker
MP for Worcester
15 October
1970
5 November
1972
Conservative Heath
  Geoffrey Rippon
MP for Hexham
5 November
1972
4 March
1974
Conservative
  Anthony Crosland
MP for Great Grimsby
5 March
1974
8 April
1976
Labour Wilson
(III & IV)
  Peter Shore
MP for Stepney and Poplar
8 April
1976
4 May
1979
Labour Callaghan
  Michael Heseltine
MP for Henley
5 May
1979
6 January
1983
Conservative Thatcher I
  Tom King
MP for Bridgwater
6 January
1983
11 June
1983
Conservative
  Patrick Jenkin
MP for Wanstead and Woodford
11 June
1983
2 September
1985
Conservative Thatcher II
  Kenneth Baker
MP for Mole Valley
2 September
1985
21 May
1986
Conservative
  Nicholas Ridley
MP for Cirencester and Tewkesbury
21 May
1986
24 July
1989
Conservative
Thatcher III
  Chris Patten
MP for Bath
24 July
1989
28 November
1990
Conservative
  Michael Heseltine
MP for Henley
28 November
1990
11 April
1992
Conservative Major I
  Michael Howard
MP for Folkestone and Hythe
11 April
1992
27 May
1993
Conservative Major II
  John Gummer
MP for Suffolk Coastal
27 May
1993
2 May
1997
Conservative

Secretaries of state for the environment, transport and the regions (1997–2001)

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  John Prescott[4]
MP for Kingston upon Hull East
2 May
1997
8 June
2001
Labour Blair I

Secretaries of state for environment, food and rural affairs (2001–present)

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  Margaret Beckett[5]
MP for Derby South
8 June
2001
5 May
2006
Labour Blair II
Blair III
  David Miliband[6]
MP for South Shields
5 May
2006
28 June
2007
Labour
  Hilary Benn[7]
MP for Leeds Central
28 June
2007
11 May
2010
Labour Brown
  Caroline Spelman[8]
MP for Meriden
12 May
2010
4 September
2012
Conservative Cameron–Clegg
(Con.L.D.)
  Owen Paterson[9]
MP for North Shropshire
4 September
2012
14 July
2014
Conservative
  Liz Truss[10]
MP for South West Norfolk
15 July
2014
14 July
2016
Conservative
 
Cameron II
 
  Andrea Leadsom[11]
MP for South Northamptonshire
14 July
2016
11 June
2017
Conservative May I
  Michael Gove[12]
MP for Surrey Heath
11 June
2017
24 July
2019
Conservative May II
  Theresa Villiers[13]
MP for Chipping Barnet
24 July
2019
13 February
2020
Conservative Johnson I
Johnson II
  George Eustice
MP for Camborne and Redruth
13 February
2020
6 September 2022 Conservative
  Ranil Jayawardena
MP for North East Hampshire
6 September 2022 25 October 2022 Conservative Truss
  Thérèse Coffey
MP for Suffolk Coastal
25 October 2022 13 November 2023 Conservative Sunak
  Steve Barclay
MP for North East Cambridgeshire
13 November 2023 5 July 2024 Conservative
  Steve Reed
MP for Streatham and Croydon North
5 July 2024 Incumbent Labour Starmer

Timeline of environment secretaries

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Steve Reed (politician)Steve BarclayThérèse CoffeyRanil JayawardenaGeorge EusticeTheresa VilliersMichael GoveAndrea LeadsomLiz TrussOwen PatersonCaroline SpelmanHilary BennDavid MilibandMargaret BeckettJohn PrescottJohn GummerMichael HowardChris PattenNicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of LiddesdaleKenneth Baker, Baron Baker of DorkingPatrick JenkinTom King, Baron King of BridgwaterMichael HeseltinePeter ShoreAnthony CroslandGeoffrey RipponPeter Walker, Baron Walker of Worcester


References

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  1. ^ "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Secretary of State for Environment". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  4. ^ "Lord Prescott". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  6. ^ "Rt Hon David Miliband". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Rt Hon Dame Caroline Spelman MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  9. ^ "Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  11. ^ "Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  12. ^ "Rt Hon Michael Gove MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  13. ^ "Theresa Villiers replaces Gove as Defra secretary". Farmers Weekly. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.