Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is a position with the UK Opposition's Shadow Cabinet that deals with issues surrounding the environment and food and rural affairs; if the opposition party is elected to government, the designated person is a likely choice to become the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Incumbent
Steve Reed
since 4 September 2023
AppointerLeader of the Opposition
WebsiteThe Shadow Cabinet

The position existed as Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment until 1997, when it was renamed Environment, Transport and the Regions to match the Government's reorganisation. It changed to its current name in 2001 for the same reason. Under Michael Howard, the arrangement was slightly different. There was a Shadow Environment Secretary outside Shadow Cabinet and (together with the Shadow Transport Secretary) under the direction of the Shadow Secretary of State for Environment and Transport.

Shadow Secretaries of State

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Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment

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NameTook officeLeft officePolitical partyShadow Cabinet
Anthony Crosland19 June 19705 March 1974LabourWilson II
Margaret Thatcher 5 March 197418 February 1975ConservativeHeath II
Timothy Raison18 February 197519 November 1976Thatcher
Michael Heseltine 19 November 19764 May 1979
Peter Shore4 May 197914 July 1979Callaghan
Roy Hattersley 14 July 19798 December 1980
Gerald Kaufman 8 December 198031 October 1983Foot
Jack Cunningham31 October 19832 November 1989Kinnock
Bryan Gould 2 November 198918 July 1992
Chris Smith 18 July 199220 October 1994Smith
Beckett
Frank Dobson 20 October 19942 May 1997Blair
John Gummer 2 May 199711 June 1997ConservativeMajor

Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions

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NameTook officeLeft officePolitical partyShadow Cabinet
Norman Fowler 11 June 19971 June 1998ConservativeHague
Gillian Shepherd[1] 1 June 199814 June 1999
John Redwood[2] 14 June 19992 February 2000
Archie Norman 2 February 200018 September 2001

Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

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NameTook officeLeft officePolitical partyShadow Cabinet
Peter Ainsworth 18 September 200123 July 2002ConservativeDuncan Smith
David Lidington 23 July 200210 November 2003

Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment

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NameTook officeLeft officePolitical partyShadow Cabinet
Caroline Spelman 10 November 200315 March 2004ConservativeHoward
Richard Ottaway 15 March 200410 May 2005

Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

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NameTook officeLeft officePolitical partyShadow Cabinet
Oliver Letwin 10 May 20056 December 2005ConservativeHoward
Peter Ainsworth6 December 200519 January 2009Cameron
Nick Herbert 19 January 200911 May 2010
Hilary Benn 11 May 20108 October 2010LabourHarman I
Mary Creagh 8 October 20107 October 2013Miliband
Maria Eagle 7 October 201314 September 2015
Harman II
Kerry McCarthy 14 September 201526 June 2016Corbyn
Rachael Maskell 27 June 20161 February 2017
Sue Hayman 9 February 201712 December 2019
Luke Pollard

On Leave: 30 August 2021 - 5 October 2021

Acting Shadow Secretary: Daniel Zeichner

7 January 202029 November 2021
Starmer
Jim McMahon 29 November 20214 September 2023
Steve Reed 4 September 2023Incumbent

References

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  1. ^ "Hague reshuffles shadow cabinet". BBC News. 1 June 1998. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Lilley sacked in Hague reshuffle". The Guardian. 15 June 1999. Retrieved 10 March 2013.