Ranil Jayawardena quits as Defra secretary
25th October 2022
As Rishi Sunak takes the reins as PM and begins a cabinet reshuffle, several MPs have stepped aside, including Ranil Jayawardena, who has been in the role for less than two months.
Jayawardena announced his intention to stand aside in a letter to the prime minister today (25th October).
He said he was ‘very grateful’ to Liz Truss for appointing him secretary for environment, food and rural affairs, and pleased to have ‘laid the groundwork to “free our farmers” and to continue protecting our environment’.
The former minister, who was also previously minister for international trade from May 2020 to September this year, added that his successor will be able to take forward plans to improve the ELM scheme – ‘making them easier for farmers to access, removing current areas of frustration, updating and replacing outdated regulations and going further and faster to deliver the ambitions of the Conservative Party for food, farming, climate and the environment’.
Finally, he wrote: ‘From food security and backing British farmers, to water security and growing our rural economy, I am sure that HM Government will continue to deliver, and you will have my support in doing so.’
News that the ELM scheme is under review has provoked a backlash from some farmers and environmentalists, who criticised the government for ‘rowing back’ on environmental commitments.
Mr Jayawardena was appointed to Liz Truss’s cabinet in early September, prior to her resignation after just 45 days in office. He replaced George Eustice, who had been Defra secretary since February 2020 and prior to that, farming minister since 2015.
Farming minister Mark Spencer, who took over from Victoria Prentis in September, pledged his support for Mr Sunak yesterday, saying on Twitter: ‘As last time, I will be supporting @RishiSunak to be our Party Leader and next PM. Rishi has the skills and ability to steer us through unprecedented global challenges.’
After meeting King Charles today, Mr Sunak has now entered No 10 and begun his cabinet reshuffle.
