Truss remains as environment secretary

Liz Truss has kept her position as the environment secretary as prime minister David Cameron continues with his cabinet reshuffle.

The South West Norfolk MP is opposed to large scale solar farms, having previously called them a “blight on the landscape” and adding that seeing “row upon row” of large-scale solar farms on once productive agricultural land “makes the heart sink”.

Truss is also an advocate of fracking, repeatedly saying the UK has “robust regulation” in place to protect the environment from the impacts of shale gas developments.

However, she did accept and incorporate tougher regulations on fracking, proposed by labour, and added them to the Infrastructure Bill.

The environment secretary has also voiced her opposition to renewable energy as “extremely expensive” and has backed nuclear power as a way to hit carbon targets.

Truss replaced Owen Patterson as environment secretary in the July 2014 reshuffle, becoming the youngest person to hold a cabinet post.

The prime minister has also reappointed George Eustice as Defra minister, whilst Rory Stewart will be joining the department’s ministerial team.

Eustice was the farming minister under the coalition, and has previously served on the Efra Committee. He also successfully campaigned for water customers in Cornwall to have a reduction to their water bills.

Stewart has previously chaired the defence committee and been a member of the National Security Strategy joint committee. He has been vocal in the past about support for farmers and for upland reform.

Cameron has also named Amber Rudd as the new energy secretary, replacing Lib Dem Ed Davey who lost his seat in the general election.

Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman has announced her shadow cabinet, with Caroline Flint and Maria Eagle remaining in their positions of shadow energy secretary and shadow environment secretary respectively.