New Cabinet role for Fenland MP Steve Barclay

North East Cambridgeshire MP Steve Barclay has a new Cabinet position in the Government after Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle on Monday.

Mr Barclay, who has been MP for the Fenland area since the Tories came to power in 2010, has left his position as Health Secretary to take up the role of Environment Secretary.

He has been replaced in the health job by Louth and Horncastle MP Victoria Atkins and he takes the environment role from Liz Truss-ally Thérèse Coffey.

Barclay’s first Cabinet role was in Theresa May’s government as Brexit secretary. He was also health secretary under Boris Johnson before being demoted in Liz Truss’ short-lived administration. He returned to Cabinet when Sunak became prime minister.

This is his sixth high-ranking role in six years.

Mr Barclay told the Citizen: “I am delighted to be appointed Secretary of State for DEFRA (The Department for Environment, Foord and Rural Affairs.

“Obviously it relates very much to the constituency in North East Cambridgeshire and my job is to back British farming and fishing, to champion the rural community and to protect the environment.

“I know that matters hugely to the people living in North East Cambridgeshire as it does to people across the country.”