What does the new Defra ministerial team tell us about the Burnham Government’s approach to the environment?

‍By Matthew Dawson, Senior Account Manager

‍New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appointed Dame Angela Eagle as his new Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The 4 junior ministerial roles are now held by Emma Hardy as Minister of State, and Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, Stephen Morgan and Baroness Sue Hayman as Under-Secretaries of State.

It is clear that reforming the water sector will be a top priority, with the Clean Water Bill expected in the Autumn (though possibly later). But beyond the headline appointments, what do we know about this new-look team and what can we determine about how they will shape environmental policy going forwards?

Defra social media announcement video of Angela Eagle’s role – 21/07/26 https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1DACVTHfiz/

‍A Defra team which represents coastal and rural areas

‍With Burnham promising "place before party”, this is a departmental team designed to connect with coastal and rural voters. Whether by chance or design, this represents the first time Defra has ever been led entirely by MPs from coastal seats.

‍Suffolk Coastal MP Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, Defra's newest Minister, described her role upon appointment as "minister for nature and rural affairs...pushing hard to make sure we deliver better for rural communities". As the Chair of the Labour Rural Research Group (LRRG), she has experience in working alongside the 40 rural and semi-rural Labour MPs. The group has previously set out their mission under Carpenter as shaping policies that are “relevant, inclusive and responsive to the needs of the countryside”, this included opposing the unpopular changes to farmers inheritance tax.

‍It will be vital for organisations looking to influence policy to demonstrate credibility that they have understood the places their proposals would impact, when possible centring local voices and working with local stakeholders.

‍An expanded role for the ‘bag carriers’ of Defra

‍It is also worth highlighting Defra’s two Parliamentary Private Secretaries (PPSs): aides who support Ministers in Parliament. These are another coastal MP Jayne Kirkham from Truro and Falmouth in Cornwall, and Lee Pitcher, Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme MP, who represents a mostly rural seat.

‍Chief Whip Anneliese Midgley has written to Labour MPs setting out a strengthened and more public-facing role for all PPSs, part of a wider "culture change" the new government is looking to embed. Though PPSs have in the past been disparaged as ‘bag carriers’, they are now promised greater opportunities to undertake media and parliamentary activity, including on national policy.

‍What this really entails in practice remains to be seen, but it could mean there are now 7 politicians with a remit to talk publicly on behalf of the department.

‍The new Defra team has seen a loss of vital experience

‍Eagle is a very experienced operator with a reputation for getting things done. Her very first ministerial role was in 1997, when she was a Minister for Green Issues and Regeneration in Defra’s predecessor, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. And Hardy has worked extensively on water policy, including speaking 30,416 words in debates in the Commons on the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025.

‍However, overall this is a significantly less experienced team on the environment than that which was appointed in 2024, bringing opportunities for new thinking but also a loss of existing knowledge.

‍Of those who entered Defra in 2024, Mary Creagh had served as Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, Daniel Zeichner had been in the shadow Defra brief since 2020, and Steve Reed was a relatively powerful Secretary of State, central to the Starmer project, who promised to make this "the most nature-positive government this nation has ever had".

‍It is fair to say that, apart from Baroness Hayman and Hardy, none of the Ministers now in post have a history of working on environmental issues over a sustained period of time. As these Ministers get up to speed, organisations now have a chance to ensure that they are well-briefed on a range of different viewpoints.

Ministerial changes raise concerns over the circular economy agenda

‍Both Mary Creagh and Steve Reed (while Secretary of State) were champions for ambition on the circular economy. With the Government failing to release the Circular Economy Growth Plan under the previous administration, there are real concerns that it may now be further stalled or never released.

‍The circular economy is one area of Defra which, of course, affects every household, not just those in rural areas, and was also where they had intended to show cross-departmental leadership.

‍The Labour Party's 2024 General Election manifesto included a high-level pledge to reduce waste by transitioning toward a circular economy. If the Circular Economy Growth Plan is dropped, many organisations will be pressing new Ministers to explain how this commitment will be achieved through other means.

Ministers have a mandate for environmental ambition in Defra

‍As this department looks to the countryside and coasts for inspiration, it is worth revisiting the LRRG's polling in 2025 of the priorities and concerns of people living in rural areas. The environment emerged as the second top priority, closely behind healthcare.

‍Further, More in Common polling last week found deep public concern about climate impacts and nature loss, with more than half feeling Labour's efforts to date have not been ambitious enough.

‍With the 2024 Labour manifesto having outlined that “the climate and nature crisis is the greatest long-term global challenge that we face”, there is clearly a mandate for ambitious environmental action from this new-look Defra team.