Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature, formerly the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Land Use, is a junior ministerial position in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The incumbent holder is Member of Parliament (MP) Mary Creagh.

United Kingdom Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Incumbent Mary Creagh since 18 July 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Status	Incumbent
Reports to	Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Nominator	Secretary of State
Appointer	The King (on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation	2018
First holder	David Rutley
Website	https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/parliamentary-under-secretary-of-state--278

History

Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment

Conservative MP David Rutley was the first holder of the position, being appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment on 22 May 2018 in the second May ministry.^[1] He briefly served in the position until 19 July 2018, and then the position was vacant for the rest of May's premiership.^[2]

Following the resignation of Amber Rudd as Work and Pensions Secretary, Thérèse Coffey was appointed to succeed her.^[3] Rebecca Pow was appointed to succeed Coffey under Prime Minister Boris Johnson on 10 September 2019, but with the portfolio for Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment and thus the position was held once more.^[4][5]

Pow served in the position in both the first Johnson ministry and second Johnson ministry before she resigned during the July 2022 government crisis.^[6] Steve Double was appointed as her successor on 8 July 2022, serving until the formation of the Truss ministry.^[7]

Natural Environment and Land Use

Trudy Harrison was appointed the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Land Use on 28 October 2022 in the Sunak ministry, having previously held the position of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment under Liz Truss.^[8] She resigned from the position in the November 2023 British cabinet reshuffle.^[9]

Nature

Pow returned to the position in the November 2023 British cabinet reshuffle as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature under Rishi Sunak, serving until the 2024 general election.^[10][5]

After the defeat of the Conservative party in the 2024 general election, Labour MP Mary Creagh was appointed to the position under Prime Minister Keir Starmer.^[11][12][13]

Responsibilities

Current

• Circular economy
• Planning and land use framework
• Domestic biodiversity
• Tree planting and forestry
• International nature and wildlife
• Environmental targets and EIP
• Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme
• Green finance
• Protected Landscapes (National Landscapes and National Parks)
• Lead for Office for Environmental Protection
• Lead for Natural England
• Lead for Forestry Commission
• Lead for Joint Nature Conservation Committee
• Lead for Kew

List of ministers

Name		Portrait	Term of office		Political party	P.M.		E.Sec.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment
	David Rutley		22 May 2018	19 July 2018	Conservative		May	Gove
	Rebecca Pow		10 September 2019	7 July 2022			Johnson	Villiers
								Eustice
	Steve Double		8 July 2022	8 September 2022
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Land Use
	Trudy Harrison		28 October 2022	13 November 2023	Conservative		Sunak	Coffey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature
	Rebecca Pow		14 November 2023	5 July 2024	Conservative		Sunak	Barclay
	Mary Creagh		18 July 2024	Incumbent	Labour		Starmer	Reed

See also

• Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Water and Rural Growth