Defra gets new Rural Affairs Minister

Stephen Morgan MP has been appointed as Defra’s new Rural Affairs Minister, following a limited government reshuffle by the Prime Minister.

Prompted by the resignation of the Defence Secretary, the Prime Minister made a number of changes to his team, including transferring Dame Angela Eagle, the former Rural Affairs Minister, to a new position within the Home Office.

Stephen Morgan MP joins Defra having previously served as a junior minister within the Department for Education.

He currently represents Portsmouth South, and has held the seat since the general election in 2017.

ACRE will be writing to the new minister later this week to formally introduce itself, explain its role and that of the wider Network, including in delivering programmes for Defra, and to arrange a face-to-face meeting.

As part of this introduction, ACRE also intends to offer the new minister a visit to a rural location to get a feel for some of the challenges being faced by communities today.