Barclay Replaces Coffey as Environment Secretary

In today’s UK Government reshuffle, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has replaced Dr Thérèse Coffey with Steve Barclay as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Thérèse Coffey, who had served as Defra Secretary for just over a year, resigned from the Government with a public letter to the Prime Minister, stating that “it is now the right time to step back from government”.

Steve Barclay previously served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from July 2022 until November 2023 (with a brief gap during the short-lived Truss-led Government). Prior to this he has held numerous government positions, including Downing Street Chief of Staff (February-July 2022), Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (2021-2022), Chief Secretary to the Treasury (2020-2021), and Secretary of State for Existing the European Union (2018-2020). He has also served on the Public Accounts Select Committee (2010-2014). He has been the Member of Parliament for North East Cambridgeshire since 2010. Before entering politics, he was in the military and then worked as a finance and insurance lawyer.