Owen Paterson has been replaced by Liz Truss in the role of Environment Secretary.
Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed the change as part of a wider reshuffle in his Twitter feed.
Liz Truss is MP for South West Norfolk and was elected in 2010. She will replace Owen Paterson who served in the role from 2012 and was not noted in the resource and recycling sector for widely engaging on environmental issues, but was more concerned with the farming community.
With just nine months until the General Election, it is unlikely that Liz Truss will be able to make much of an impact especially as August and December are traditionally quiet months due to summer and Christmas recess in Parliament, September is party conference season and Parliament is expected to rise in March 2015 ahead of the General Election in May.
Potentially, this means she will only have the full months of October, November, January and February in which to make an impact, plus parts of July, September, December and March.
The Prime Minister has also made Business and Energy Minister Michael Fallon the new Defence Secretary. It isn’t yet clear whether a new minister will be appointed to take on the dual role held by Fallon across BIS and DECC.
Energy Minister Greg Barker has also decided to step down from his role, and he will not be standing for election for Parliament in May 2015.
Junior ministerial roles are likely to be confirmed over the coming days.
Source: www.rebnews.com