Who is Thérèse Coffey?
RISHI SUNAK has appointed Thérèse Coffey as the Environment Secretary.
Other Liz Truss loyalists lost their places in government during Rishi Sunak‘s re-shuffle, however Coffey has stayed in the Cabinet.
Who is Thérèse Coffey?
Thérèse Coffey is the Tory MP for Suffolk Coastal and has served the constituency since 2010.
In 2019, she was appointed Work and Pensions Secretary by Boris Johnson.
She celebrated her appointment to the role by tweeting a photo of herself and Prime Minister, Liz Truss, outside 10 Downing Street.
Coffey has been a loyal friend to Truss and has been appointed to her Cabinet in September 2022.
She was appointed to the roles of Heath Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister in September 2022.
She was born in Billinge, Lancashire, on November 18, 1971, and grew up in Liverpool.
She attended Somerville College at Oxford University before earning a PhD in chemistry at University College London.
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Before going into politics she worked for Mars Incorporated and the BBC.
Coffey first stood as a Conservative in Wrexham in 2005, but came third.
In 2010, she was elected in Suffolk Coastal with 46.4% of the vote.
Coffey is unmarried, has no children, and is described by her colleagues as work obsessed.
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What does the Environment Secretary do?
The Environment Secretary has responsibility over the Departments for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Specifically, the MP in the role will be responsible for
- water quality and security
- food production and security
- economic growth
- international relations
- senior appointments
The Environment Secretary has the enormous job of setting out the country’s environmental strategy.
During her time as Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions, Coffey encouraged green investment, saying: “Pensions can be the superpower in delivering prosperity for people and the planet in our race to net zero.”
What other parliamentary roles has Thérèse Coffey held?
Coffey became Suffolk Coastal’s first female member of parliament when she was elected in 2010.
She is a former deputy Commons leader and was appointed as Minister for the Environment by Theresa May.
On entering Parliament, she was first a member of the Culture, Olympics, Media and Sports Committee.
She served as the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions between 2019 and 2022.
Prime Minister Truss appointed close ally, Coffey, as her Health Secretary and second in command on Tuesday, September 6, 2022.
Coffey held the role of Health Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister until Rishi Sunak took over as PM on October 25, 2022.
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