Gove is precisely the right man for the very tricky role of Defra Secretary
Stanley Johnson
| PoliticsHome
Environmental activist, and former MEP Stanley Johnson welcomes Michael Gove's new appointment as Secretary of State for Defra, a role which will have an increased responsibility as the Brexit negotiations begin.
Theresa May’s appointment of Michael Gove as the new Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is extremely interesting and important. In a Cabinet where Remainers predominate, Gove was a leading Leaver. Running a minority government, Mrs May will need all the support she can find and to deliver what she has promised: “the best possible deal for Britain.”
It is not just a question of the political balance within the Cabinet.
The responsibility for by far the largest part of the Brexit deal (measured by the legislation involved) lies with Defra.
Having worked for several decades in Europe, both as an MEP and as a senior official, I am well aware of the predominant role the EU institutions play in setting the rules, and providing the finance, for agriculture, forestry and fisheries and the processes and products involved in those and other industries, as well as in the whole field of environmental quality: air, water, chemicals, waste, noise, nature protection, animal welfare and so forth.
The challenge now is to deliver Brexit in a way which not only retains the environmental ‘acquis’ but which also permits us to make the major improvements in environmental quality which are so urgently needed if the government is to deliver on its manifesto pledge of ‘being the first generation to leave the environment in a better condition than we inherited it’.
As the founder and co-chairman of Environmentalists for Europe in the run-up to last year’s EU Referendum, I argued strongly - on this site and in other places – that we should be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath-water. I still hold that view.
The good news is that Mr Michael Gove, a man of immense intelligence and a political heavy-weight in his own right even out of office, may well be precisely the right man for this very tricky job. I welcome his appointment.
Of course, if we scour the press-cuttings we can find some disobliging remarks by Michael Gove on the subject of ‘newts holding up developments’ or ‘climate change’. We all have skeletons in our cupboards.
But Mr Gove now has a chance to move those skeletons from the cupboard to the grave-yard.
To my mind the term ‘great offices of state’ should definitely include the Secretary of State for Defra. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the way we grow our food, and use the resources of the seas – these from my point of view are among the most important concerns of our time.
And Mr Gove’s contribution as Secretary of State at Defra will go far beyond the confines of his own dossier, vast though that is. One of the major cross-departmental challenges facing Britain post-Brexit will be how to replace the ‘supranational’ level (EU Commission, European Court of Justice etc) with other equally or even more effective means of enforcement absent the EU dimension. Defra needs to be a major contributor to this discussion.
Finally, the Defra Secretary has a major role to play at the international level. Next year, for example, Britain will host an international conference on the illegal wildlife trade. One of Mr Gove’s first priorities should be to ensure that the UK finally brings into force the long-promised ban on domestic sales of ivory.
Such a ban was promised in the Conservative 2010 manifesto. It was repeated in the 2015 manifesto. The antique trade, as I understand it, is on board. The Foreign Secretary and many others has made repeated appeals for the necessary measures to be introduced. 100 African elephants are being killed each day. How much longer will we - and they - wait? Over to you, Mr Gove.
Stanley Johnson is a former Conservative MEP and Vice-Chairman of the European Parliament's Environment Committee. His new Brexit thriller Kompromat will be published by Oneworld publications on July 13.
PoliticsHome member, Woodland Trust have responded to Stanley Johnson's article.
Dr James Cooper, Head of Government Affairs said:
“The unprecedented pressures facing our natural environment make the post of Defra Secretary more important than ever. Woods and trees can help tackle some of the great policy challenges we are facing and Michael Gove can make his mark by moving swiftly on Conservative manifesto pledges around ancient woodland protection, increasing tree planting rates and the publication of a comprehensive 25 year plan for the environment.
“These and the transferring of European environmental protections into domestic law are essential to make good the Government's commitment that we be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it. He should do so confident that they will command both cross-party and public support. “
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