Rishi Sunak appoints Thérèse Coffey as new Defra Secretary

(Photo: Official portrait of Dr Thérèse Coffey MP | members.parliament.uk | CC BY 3.0)
(Photo: Official portrait of Dr Thérèse Coffey MP | members.parliament.uk | CC BY 3.0)

Former Defra minister Thérèse Coffey has been appointed the new Defra Secretary as part of Rishi Sunak's cabinet reshuffle.

The ex-Health Secretary and MP for Suffolk Coastal replaces Ranil Jayawardena, who had been Defra Secretary since the beginning of September.

He announced his resignation today (25 October) after just 48 days in the role, making Ms Coffey the UK's ninth Environment Secretary since 2010.

Mr Jayawardena, who is MP for North East Hampshire, had been appointed by Liz Truss after she became prime minister.

Following her resignation, the new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, reshuffled his cabinet.

Posting his resignation letter on social media, Mr Jayawardena said he was "pleased to have laid the groundwork to 'free our farmers'".

"From food security and backing British farmers, to water scarcity and growing our rural economy, I am sure HM government will continue to deliver," he added.

Ms Coffey previously served as Deputy Prime Minister and Health Secretary since September 2022. She served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2019 to 2022.

Before this, she served under Prime Minister Theresa May as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at Defra from 2016 to 2019.