A TORY minister has resigned from the UK Government just one day after Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle.
On Monday, the Prime Minister fired Suella Braverman as home secretary and brought David Cameron back into government as Foreign Secretary.
The reshuffle also saw Greg Hands removed as Tory Party chair, replaced by Richard Holden, ahead of an anticipated 2024 General Election.
On Tuesday, Tory minister Trudy Harrison resigned her position in the UK Government.
Harrison, the MP for Copeland since 2017, had been a land use and environment minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), a role she first accepted in the Liz Truss administration.
The Copeland MP had previously held roles in the transport department under Boris Johnson, including after his resignation but before he was officially replaced.
Soon after her resignation was made public, a second Tory MP also resigned from the UK Government.
Julie Marson, a former minister who had served as an assistant government whip under Sunak, quit in a brief letter citing "personal reasons".
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Harrison (below) said: “Serving in Government under four prime ministers across many departments has been the greatest honour and experience of my life.
“As my constituents will know, I shall not be standing at the next General Election and amidst the changes today I have decided to devote my final months solely to Copeland's priorities without the distraction of ministerial duties, I shall therefore be standing down as Defra's environment minister.
“I would like to recognise the enormous efforts and talents of all those I have had the pleasure of working alongside, in particular my private office and the Defra family, the Forestry Commission, Natural England and the JNCC – the agencies that I have been responsible for.
“Publishing the Environmental Improvement Plan, being able to build on the Environment Act, increasing tree and hedgerow planting, supporting the woodland and forestry industries and spending my days working for the benefit of nature are the highlights I shall treasure forever.
“The knowledge I have gained will be put to good use on the backbenches, where I will continue to support the Prime Minister, and my colleagues across Parliament.”
Defra later announced that Robbie Moore, the MP for Keighley and Ilkley, had been brought in as Harrison's replacement.
