Steve Reed has been appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs following Jim McMahon’s resignation today (Monday, September 4).
The MP for Croydon North will leave his current position as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice.
Reed’s appointment is one of many announced by the Labour Party as part of its Shadow Cabinet reshuffle.
The Shadow Cabinet is a mirror cabinet in the opposition party. Its purpose is to lead its party, question and challenge its counterparts in cabinet and to act as an alternative government-in-waiting.
Reed said he is “delighted” to be appointed Shadow Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
“I will work tirelessly to preserve our precious nature, win a fairer deal for farmers, tackle food price inflation and end the scandal of sewage being dumped in our rivers, lakes and seas,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Reed also thanks outgoing Defra shadow secretary Jim McMahon for his “excellent work, including exposing how the Tories have undermined British farming and damaged our waterways with their shameful sewage scandal”.
Labour party leader Keir Starmer also thanks McMahon for his “service and support in the shadow cabinet”.
In his resignation letter McMahon said his decision was for the benefit of his health and his family, and to allow his to focus fully on contributing to the General Election campaign and serve his constituents.
“I have faced a number of personal challenges in the last year coming back from a serious illness. The road to recovery has been testing and although I am better than I was, there is still some way to go,” he said.
