Truss appoints new Defra minister

Prime minister Liz Truss has reshuffled her cabinet and appointed former chief whip Mark Spencer as Defra Minister of State, replacing Victoria Prentis who was in the role for over two years.

The MP for Sherwood, who comes from a farming background, said he was “looking forward to supporting food production and the environment and our rural communities.” 

Before becoming an MP, Spencer studied at Shuttleworth Agricultural College in Bedfordshire, before joining the family farm business. 

He became an MP in 2010, and has served on the Environmental Audit Committee and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. 

He formerly served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to then-Defra Secretary Liz Truss, and was appointed Assistant Government Whip in 2016, before becoming a full government whip in 2017 

Spencer was made Chief Whip in 2019 under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. 

The department will also be joined by MP for North East Hampshire, Ranil Jayawardena, who will be replacing George Eustice as Defra secretary while also acting as deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. 

Referring to his new Defra role, Jayawardena said on Twitter yesterday, “From food security and backing British farmers, to water security and growing our rural economy, I know that there is much to do. It is so important to recognise where our food comes from.” 

Previously, Jayawardena served as minister for international trade, a department which has seen the appointment of Kemi Badenoch as international trade secretary under Truss’ reshuffle.