NEWBURY MP Richard Benyon has said he is “delighted” with his promotion to a shadow ministerial post in the Conservative cabinet reshuffle today (Monday).
Mr Benyon will now be responsible for formulating Conservative policies in the front bench team for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
After a meeting with Conservative leader David Cameron at lunch time today, Mr Benyon said: “I am delighted to have been given this challenging role and I look forward to doing what I can to support fishing, farming and other aspects of the rural economy.
“I have really enjoyed my time in the Whip’s office, I learned a lot about how Parliament works but it’s good to move to a shadow ministerial role to see how policies affect people and taking through important pieces of legislature.”
Mr Cameron said of the re-shuffle: “With the changes I have made today, we have combined fresh thinking with experience, hope and change with stability and common sense.”
Mr Benyon still has to meet Shadow Secretary of State for Defra, Nick Herbert, to find out what his exact responsibilities will be, but he believes it is likely he will have a “variety of different roles” including animal welfare and fisheries.
He said he was “particularly” pleased to be involved with the Defra team as a former farmer and land surveyor and a member of the National Farmer’s Union. He has also sat on the Council of the Country Land and Business Association.
Mr Benyon said: “I feel Defra is a department that I have dealt with in various forms and I have felt intense frustration with it at times as a farmer and a manager of a rural business. There are changes that I want to see but I want to get my feet under the table and help my party to produce policies that will get it elected and to try and carry those through.
“It’s not been a happy story for farmers and a great many people involved in the rural economy.”
He said his constituents should not see any difference as he takes on his new role in Parliament as Newbury remains his priority.
“My constituency is always a priority and I have a really good team in Cheap Street who may see a little less of me but my constituents will not see a difference.”
The cabinet re-shuffle has also seen Ken Clarke return to the Conservative front bench as shadow business secretary.
Mr Clarke said he was “delighted” to join the Shadow Cabinet, but warned that Britain was facing “the gravest economic crisis I have known in my lifetime” as a result of Labour’s Debt Crisis.
Mr Benyon said: “Ken Clarke is a huge asset to the team. He’s got great experience in government, as we make serious preparations for being in government. We need to be able to refer to people who know the difficulties of trying to carry forward a legislative programme at this time with the current financial situation. It’s good to have someone who has seen a few of these."
On the issue of Mr Clarke’s pro-European views which have put him at odds with the party, Mr Benyon said: “He would not have come back if he was going to stir up that particular issue. What encourages people to support a party is unity and the issues affecting people which is the economy and the banking crisis.
“I think in the polls we’ve been looking much more healthy in the New Year.
“It’s going to be exciting times. It’s great to be part of the team.”