“I consider it is now the right time to step back from government,” Coffey said in a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, published by his office. Reflecting on her 12-month role as Defra Secretary of State, she said: “I have strengthened the foundations for Defra to deliver here in the UK and globally, such that this government has achieved more than any other to protect our planet.
Steve Barclay was previously Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (since 25/10/2022). He was first elected in 2010 as MP for North East Cambridgeshire.
Prior to his election to Parliament, Barclay was educated at King Edward VII School, Lytham, before reading history at Peterhouse, Cambridge. He later studied law at the College of Law, Chester. He qualified as a solicitor in 1998 for Axa Insurance, the Financial Services Authority and Barclays Retail Bank.
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 with overall responsibility for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).