Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is a position with the UK Opposition's Shadow Cabinet that deals with issues surrounding the environment and food and rural affairs; if the opposition party is elected to government, the designated person is a likely choice to become the new secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs.
The position existed as Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment until 1997, when it was renamed Environment, Transport and the Regions to match the Government's reorganisation. It changed to its current name in 2001 for the same reason. Under Michael Howard, the arrangement was slightly different. There was a shadow environment secretary outside the Shadow Cabinet and (together with the shadow transport secretary) under the direction of the shadow secretary of state for environment and transport.
Shadow secretaries of state Shadow Minister of Public Buildings and WorksName Took office Left office Political party Shadow CabinetTony Greenwood 15 July 1955 16 November 1959 Labour Attlee Gaitskell Barbara Castle 16 November 1959 28 November 1960Unknown 28 November 1960 30 November 1961 Dick Mitchison 30 November 1961 22 February 1963 Brown Charles Pannell 22 February 1963 16 October 1964 Wilson Geoffrey Rippon 16 October 1964 29 October 1964 Conservative Douglas-Home James Ramsden 29 October 1964 6 October 1965 Robin Chichester-Clark 6 October 1965 19 June 1970 Ulster Unionist Heath John Silkin 19 June 1970 22 July 1970 Labour Wilson II Anthony Crosland 22 July 1970 15 October 1970Shadow Secretary of State for the EnvironmentName Took office Left office Political party Shadow Cabinet Anthony Crosland 15 October 1970 5 March 1974 Labour Wilson II Geoffrey Rippon 5 March 1974 11 March 1974 Conservative Heath II Margaret Thatcher 11 March 1974 7 November 1974 Paul Channon 7 November 1974 18 February 1975 Timothy Raison 18 February 1975 19 November 1976 Thatcher Michael Heseltine 19 November 1976 4 May 1979 Peter Shore 4 May 1979 14 July 1979 Labour Callaghan Roy Hattersley 14 July 1979 8 December 1980 Gerald Kaufman 8 December 1980 31 October 1983 Foot Jack Cunningham 31 October 1983 2 November 1989 Kinnock Bryan Gould 2 November 1989 18 July 1992 Chris Smith 18 July 1992 20 October 1994SmithBeckett Frank Dobson 20 October 1994 2 May 1997Blair John Gummer 2 May 1997 11 June 1997 Conservative MajorShadow Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the RegionsName Took office Left office Political party Shadow Cabinet Norman Fowler 11 June 1997 1 June 1998 Conservative Hague Gillian Shepherd 1 June 1998 14 June 1999 John Redwood 14 June 1999 2 February 2000 Archie Norman 2 February 2000 18 September 2001Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsName Took office Left office Political party Shadow Cabinet Peter Ainsworth 18 September 2001 23 July 2002 Conservative Duncan Smith David Lidington 23 July 2002 10 November 2003 Caroline Spelman 10 November 2003 15 March 2004 Conservative Howard Richard Ottaway 15 March 2004 10 May 2005Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsName Took office Left office Political party Shadow Cabinet Oliver Letwin 10 May 2005 6 December 2005 Conservative Howard Peter Ainsworth 6 December 2005 19 January 2009 Cameron Nick Herbert 19 January 2009 11 May 2010 Hilary Benn 11 May 2010 8 October 2010 LabourHarman Mary Creagh 8 October 2010 7 October 2013 Miliband Maria Eagle 7 October 2013 14 September 2015 Harman II Kerry McCarthy 14 September 2015 26 June 2016Corbyn Rachael Maskell 27 June 2016 1 February 2017 Sue Hayman 9 February 2017 12 December 2019 Luke Pollard 7 January 2020 29 November 2021Starmer Jim McMahon 29 November 2021 4 September 2023Steve Reed4 September 20235 July 2024Steve Barclay8 July 20245 November 2024Conservative SunakVictoria Atkins5 November 2024IncumbentBadenoch
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