Following Gordon Brown’s takeover at No 10 yesterday, Hilary Benn has been announced as the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The 53 year old MP for Leeds Central will fill the Defra vacancy left by David Miliband, who is heading to the Foreign Office as the youngest Foreign Secretary since David Owen in 1977.
The second son of leftwing Labour veteran Tony Benn, who came fourth in the deputy Labour leadership contest despite being the bookies’ favourite, will leave the post of International Development Secretary which he has held since 2003.
The appointment of Mr Benn was welcomed by National Farmers Union President, Peter Kendall, who said: “We are delighted to welcome Hilary Benn to Defra, and look forward to establishing a close and productive working relationship with him and the new Defra team of Ministers.”
“He comes to Defra at a time when there is a wide-ranging agenda of issues to be resolved. In dealing with all of them, it is vital that he understands the potential that farming offers to provide solutions on issues like food quality and security, climate change, the rural environment and renewable energy,” added Mr Kendall.
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