Dame Angela Eagle was appointed Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 20 July 2026.
The NFU previously worked with her in her capacity as Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – a position she held from September 2025 to June 2026.
Responding to Dame Angela Eagle’s appointment, NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “I would like to congratulate Dame Angela Eagle on her appointment as Defra Secretary of State. I look forward to working with her again to build a resilient food system, drive growth across the farming sector and strengthen food security for 29 million households across the UK.
“I would also like to thank Emma Reynolds MP for her commitment and collaborative approach during her time in post.”
Find out more about Dame Angela Eagle
Dame Angela Eagle has served as the Labour MP for Wallasey since 1992.
Over her career, she has held ministerial roles under multiple Labour governments. Under Tony Blair, she served in the Environment, Transport and the Regions, Social Security, and Home Office departments. In Gordon Brown’s government, she was Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and Minister of State for Pensions and the Ageing Society.
She has also served on the Treasury Select Committee and the Intelligence and Security Committee, and held internal Labour Party roles such as Chair of the Equalities Committee.
Before her role as Farming Minister, she served as Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum at the Home Office (2024–2025).