Following David Miliband’s departure to pastures more exotic, Hilary Benn has been appointed by Gordon Brown to replace him as Defra Secretary of State.
Benn was previously Secretary of State for International Development.
Born in Hammersmith, London, he is a fourth generation MP, the second son of former Labour Cabinet Minister Tony Benn. The son of Tony Benn, the long-serving former cabinet minister, Hilary has described himself as ‘a Benn, but not a Bennite’.
In his previous role, the committed New Labour moderniser was an advocate of ending global poverty, Benn was appointed as the prime minister's G8 Africa personal representative in September 2003, having been parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for International Development from 2001-02.
Having been an MP since 1999, other positions included being a member of the House of Commons environment, transport and the regions select committee, and vice-chair of the backbench education committee of Labour MPs. He was also Home Office minister for prisons and probation from 2002-03.
He was also elected a member of the party's environment policy commission.
NFU president Peter Kendall was upbeat on the appointment, saying: “We are delighted to welcome Hilary Benn to Defra, and look forward to establishing a close and productive working relationship with him and the new Defra team of Ministers.
“He comes to Defra at a time when there is a wide-ranging agenda of issues to be resolved. In dealing with all of them, it is vital that he understands the potential that farming offers to provide solutions on issues like food quality and security, climate change, the rural environment and renewable energy.
“With that in mind, we shall be working hard to make sure that agriculture and horticulture remain at the heart of Defra’s priorities.”
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