Today (6 July), MP for Bury St. Edmunds Jo Churchill has resigned from her position as Environment Minister in the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra).
In an announcement on Twitter, Churchill said: “It is with a heavy heart that I have this morning tendered my resignation to the Prime Minister. I will not be doing media interviews on this matter.”
In a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the former Minister stated: “As a Defra minister, seeking solutions to climate adaptation and food security has been a similar honour. I strongly believe our farmers, producers and researchers can deliver us the answers.
“Recent events have shown integrity, competence, and judgement are all essential to the role of Prime Minister, while a jocular self-serving approach is bound to have its limitations.
“Our beloved country is facing an uncertain future and strong headwinds, a clear, self-less vision is needed. The country and party deserve better and so with a heavy heart I have decided to resign.
“I would like to put on record my thanks to colleagues, civil servants and others who have helped me through these past years and of course to my wonderful family who have given so much to allow me to serve.”
Churchill joins a wave of cabinet, ministerial, and parliamentary staff to leave their positions in response to the Chris Pincher affair.
Executive Director of the Environmental Services Association, Jacob Hayler, commented: “We are disappointed to hear that Jo Churchill has resigned her ministerial role. The minister has been very visible and engaged with our sector during her tenure and many across the recycling and waste management industry, like the ESA, will of course now be highly concerned about what implications this will have for the Resources and Waste Strategy.
“Alongside our public sector colleagues, we wrote to the minister last week calling for urgent clarity on the reforms if we are to stand a chance of implementing them in line with the Government’s desired timescales.
“All we can hope is that whoever takes Jo Churchill’s place is ready to hit the ground running.”
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There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.