The appointment, announced yesterday (20 July 2026), comes as part of a wide-ranging cabinet reshuffle following Burnham’s arrival in Downing Street, with dozens of ministerial appointments confirmed across government.
Eagle replaces Emma Reynolds, who has moved to the Treasury as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Delighted to be appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury in @andyburnham’s Cabinet. I look forward to working with PM and @JohnHealey_MP to deliver growth in every post code.
Huge thanks to Defra ministers/officials for all their hard work. Excited to get back to work at HMT. https://t.co/h1clqPtJ01
— Emma Reynolds for Wycombe 🌹 (@EmmaforWycombe) July 20, 2026
The new Environment Secretary said: “It is an honour to be appointed Environment Secretary, and I am delighted to be back in the Department. I want to thank Emma Reynolds for everything she achieved and giving me strong foundations to work from.
“This government is focused on the things that matter most to the British public. I will be tackling the cost of living; fixing the water system to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas; backing our farmers in growing quality British produce; restoring nature so that we have pride in local communities; and delivering a renewed relationship with the EU to help keep food bills down.
“This is the change people voted for, and I intend to deliver it.”
Eagle takes over the department having already served in Defra as Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs between September 2025 and June 2026.
Most recently, she held the role of Minister of State at the Home Office, where she served as Security Minister. The also held the role of Minister of State at the Cabinet Office.
Eagle brings more than three decades of parliamentary experience to the role. She was first elected as Labour MP for Wallasey in 1992, becoming the constituency’s first Labour MP, and was re-elected at the July 2024 general election.
During Tony Blair’s government, she held a number of ministerial positions, including Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions, as well as roles covering Social Security and Home Affairs.
Before becoming Defra secretary, Eagle served as Minister of State (Minister for Border Security and Asylum) at the Home Office from July 2024 to September 2025.
Jacob Hayler, Executive Director of the Environmental Services Association (ESA), commented on the appointment: “Dame Angela Eagle brings a considerable amount of political knowledge and experience to her new role as Secretary of State at Defra and we look forward to working with Angela and her team during a critical period for the department – which is overseeing the long-awaited implementation of generational recycling and waste reforms while also trying to strengthen its grip on waste crime.
“As well as focusing on the here and now, ESA members and Government share an ambition to eliminate avoidable waste and double national resource-productivity, which is why it is critical that Defra and industry work together to unlock investment; reduce carbon emissions; provide greater resource-security, and deliver green growth for the UK.”
Circular Economy Growth Plan
Some industry experts have warned that the leadership change may mean that the Circular Economy Growth Plan (CEGP) may be “dead in the water”.
All government departments are expected to avoid making any major policy announcements in the meantime – a standstill that will likely continue for several months following the reshuffle.
Key industry figures privately told letsrecycle.com that they strongly suspect this will mean the Circular Economy Growth Plan will fall off the priority list and will not be released at all.
DESNZ Secretary
The reshuffle also saw Miatta Fahnbulleh replace Ed Miliband as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
DESNZ is responsible for the rolling out of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities from 2028, which is set to have wide ranging effects on the waste and recycling sector.
Elected as MP for Peckham in July 2024, Fahnbulleh became the first government minister to resign in support of calls for Keir Starmer’s resignation on 12 May 2026.
She has had roles in both DESNZ and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Miliband has been made Foreign Secretary and replaces Yvette Cooper.
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