The minister was appointed to Defra by the new environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, last month, but her responsibilities were not immediately clear.
While Trudy Harrison was originally given responsibility for waste, the move to have Mrs Pow take responsibility for the sector was finalised by Defra “in the last week” and updated on the website yesterday (16 November).
A spokesperson for Defra said: “Portfolios are decided after discussions between ministers, and Minister Pow looks forward to working with the sector to deliver the government’s ambitious work in the waste area.”
The move could be significant for the sector as Mrs Pow is known to be close to Michael Gove, the environment secretary credited with introducing a raft of waste reforms.
Mrs Pow has been MP for Taunton Deane since May 2015. In 2019, Mr Gove supported her re-election campaign, hailing Mrs Pow as a “powerful champion for the environment” (see letsrecycle.com story).
Her other responsibilities include floods, water, air quality and noise, environment regulation including chemicals and lead for Environment Agency.
Meanwhile, Ms Harrison is to continue having responsibilities for the natural environment, wildlife and land use.
Background
Mrs Pow was previously under secretary at Defra from September 2019 to July 2022, when she stepped down in protest to Boris Johnson’s government. She has previously been in charge of waste and resources, until Jo Churchill took over in 2021.
Prior to joining Defra, Mrs Pow was under secretary at the Department for Digital Cultural, Media and Sport between May and September 2019.
She returned to Defra last month after she was one of a number of MPs to stand down when Boris Johnson was Prime Minister.
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