14 November 2023 , 14:27
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The Tory put in charge of tackling the sewage crisis is married to the executive of a water firm shamed for polluting the sea.
Steve Barclay was appointed Environment Secretary in the reshuffle after being moved from his old job as Health Secretary.
The Cabinet minister’s wife Karen works for Anglian Water, which has been criticised for pumping sewage into the environment. Mrs Barclay, who was Head of Public Affairs for the water firm, now works as its Head of Regional Engagement.
Anglian Water has apologised for repeated sewage spillages as public anger grows over pollution in seas and rivers. In April, pleaded guilty to allowing 7.5million litres - the equivalent of three Olympic-sized swimming pools - of untreated sewage to overflow into the North Sea.
It was fined £2.7million, the largest ever penalty imposed for environmental offences in the east of England region. The judge said the scale of the fine related to the water company "finding itself in court so frequently".
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In June, an advertising campaign by Anglian Water boasting how it cleans water by creating wildlife-friendly wetlands was banned for not telling customers about its record. The watchdog upheld complaints that the adverts were misleading as they omitted “significant information” on “Anglian Water’s history of releasing sewage into the environment”.
Mr Barclay disclosed his wife’s job on the most recent List of Ministers’ Interests, which was published in April. His entry stated: “The minister’s spouse/partner works for Anglian Water.” He replaces Therese Coffey who resigned as Environment Secretary at the reshuffle. In a letter to the Prime Minister, the veteran minister said that it was "now the right time to step back from government".
Paul de Zylva of Friends of the Earth said: "Steve Barclay is picking up a brief that has been neglected throughout the majority of his party's time in office - there is a lot of lost time to make up for. Given the dire state of nature in the UK, he must start by urgently addressing the poor performances of polluting water companies and the regulator Ofwat.”
Rebecca Newsom of Greenpeace UK said: "At the last election, the Conservative party was promising “the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth. Now the in-tray for the incoming Environment Secretary is filling up faster than a river downstream from a sewage plant."
A Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs spokesman said: “All Defra Ministers declare their interests in line with the Ministerial Code. There is an established regime in place for the declaration and management of interests held by ministers. This ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any potential or perceived conflicts of interest."