Creagh was made Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature in July 2024, serving under Environment Secretaries Steve Reed and Emma Reynolds.
She was colloquially referred to as the “Circular Economy Minister” and was elected as MP for Coventry East in 2024.
In a statement on LinkedIn, Creagh said: “Proud to have served as the UK’s first Nature minister under Steve Reed and Emma Reynolds.
“From releasing beavers, three new national forests, progress on circular economy, food waste and fly tippers, I’m grateful to have served with [the] brilliant Defra team.
“I’m sorry to be leaving government but that’s politics. I’ll be supporting our new Prime Minister from the back benches.”
Earlier this week, Dame Angela Eagle was made Environment Secretary as part of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first cabinet.
She replaced Emma Reynolds who was moved to the Treasury as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
As a Keir Starmer loyalist, Reynolds was expected to be replaced in the reshuffle, but it had previously been theorised that Creagh would be kept in post.
It has not yet been announced who will take over, or if the role – which was created in 2024 – will be dissolved entirely.
The new Environment Secretary neglected to mention the circular economy, waste or recycling in her opening statement.
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.”
Circular Economy Growth Plan
Some industry experts have warned that the leadership change may mean that the Circular Economy Growth Plan (CEGP) is “dead in the water”.
All government departments are likely to avoid making any major policy announcements in the near future.
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.
The growth plan is based on the work of the Circular Economy Taskforce, which was formed in December 2024 to design the first framework for England’s transition to a circular economy.
The taskforce identified six priority sectors where circular principles could deliver the most significant environmental and economic gains:
- Agri-food
- Chemicals and plastics
- Construction
- Textiles
- Transport
- WEEE
Each roadmap was set to include specific actions, timelines and policy recommendations to drive circularity within the sector.
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