Therese Coffey is to retain her post within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) the government has confirmed today (14 June).
Dr Coffey who was last week re-elected as the Conservative MP for Suffolk Coastal, will continue in the Department alongside George Eustice, MP for Camborne and Redruth, and Lord Gardiner of Kimble, both of whom had served within Defra prior to the election.
Therese Coffey speaking at an election hustings event last month
All three junior ministers will be led by the former Education Secretary Michael Gove, who was appointed Secretary of State for the Environment as part of a post-election reshuffle, which saw Andrea Leadsom appointed Leader of the House of Commons (see letsrecycle.com story).
Dr Coffey has been the minister responsible for the resources and waste management portfolio since her appointment to the Department last summer, as well as holding responsibility for work on the natural environment, floods and air quality.
Reshuffle
At present it has not been confirmed whether the ministerial will remain unchanged following the reshuffle, and a spokesperson for the Department has told letsrecycle.com that this is likely to be confirmed later in the week.
Dr Coffey’s retention of the waste and resources portfolio would likely be welcomed by businesses within the sector, who have seen a succession of ministers come and go in recent times.
Speaking in the build-up to the General Election, Dr Coffey hinted that a Conservative government could seek to change the way that recycling rates are calculated after the UK has left the EU (see letsrecycle.com story). The minister has in the past also suggested that Defra will seek a more ‘outcome-driven’ policy framework on issues such as waste.
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Source: letsrecycle.com General
