Meet the new Defra team: Emma Reynolds and Dame Angela Eagle take on department

It’s all change once again at the Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs, with Steve Reed moving to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government following a reshuffle prompted by the resignation of Angela Rayner. Wycombe MP Emma Reynolds comes in to replace him as secretary of state.

We also note the departure of Daniel Zeichner as Farming Minister. Daniel worked closely with the CLA both as minister, and before this in the shadow role. Daniel held a difficult brief, trying to be collaborative with farmers and the industry but unable to make significant progress. Dame Angela Eagle has been moved from the Home Office to replace him at Defra.

What do we know about Emma Reynolds and Dame Angela?

CLA President Victoria Vyvyan met with both the new secretary of state and farming minister this week, who noted their keenness to work with the industry.

But what is important for members to know about Emma Reynolds and Dame Angela? 

Emma Reynolds is an experienced MP, having previously represented Wolverhampton North East from 2010 – 2019, before being elected to Wycombe at last year's general election.

Prior to becoming an MP, she worked in several roles as an adviser on European issues, with a specialism in trade with the European Union. While this is her first position as a Secretary of State, she has been a junior minister at several departments, including the Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions.

She has been keen to interact with her new more rural constituency and the CLA. We recently hosted her at the Bucks County Show, as well as a tour of several farms and businesses in her constituency. We have had conversations on the destructive impact of proposed IHT changes, the progress of the Sustainable Farming Incentive and farm profitability.

Emma has also been keen to attend events with members and has displayed a willingness to listen directly to farmers on the key issues. We look forward to working with her more closely. 

Dame Angela Eagle may be a more familiar name, following her Labour leadership campaign in 2016, directly (unsuccessfully) challenging then leader Jeremy Corbyn. Dame Angela is an experienced figure, having represented Wallasey since 1992.

She served as a junior minister in the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, a precursor to Defra in the late 1990s before moving on to serve in more senior positions across Government in the Treasury, Home Office and Work and Pensions.

Rural issues have not been a frequent part of Dame Angela’s brief, and she has only referenced the countryside a handful of times in her three decades in the House of Commons.

She will, however, bring gravitas into a department that has previously been overlooked. The CLA will engage closely with her to unlock the barriers that are currently holding back the rural economy.

Outside of Defra there were other big changes relevant to CLA members. 

The most notable of these was former Environment Secretary Steve Reed moving to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. He had a difficult time at Defra and was ultimately unable to influence the Treasury over changes to inheritance tax, but we thank him for his engagement. He will hopefully take his understanding of the how the planning system is holding back rural businesses into this new role. 

There were also seen changes at other departments that the CLA works with. Of note, Peter Kyle MP has moved to become the new Secretary of State for Business and Trade and we have a new Tourism Minister in Ian Murray. We are still waiting for confirmation of other briefs such as Devolution Minister following the reshuffle.