Michael Gove's strengths

I don't like Michael Gove. I think he looks ridiculous when he comes back to his house jogging with a bagel. I didn't like his remark about experts. The thought of his wife, Sarah 'Vain' as Private Eye calls her, as political first lady appals me.

Nevertheless, I think that he is a lot smarter than almost all of the other candidates for leader of the Conservative Party. You might say that is a low bar, but I think he has good political antennae.

I have carefully monitored Defra ministers over the years. It is actually a rather difficult department to run given its diverse roles and the challenges it faces. Very few secretaries of state have been successful. They have moved on quickly or seen their political careers come to an end. The one exception that comes to mind is Hilary Benn.

What impresses me about Gove is that he has imposed his own agenda on the department. Some of his actions have been simply crowd pleasers. But there has been a serious attempt to give a greener tinge to farming policy and deal with biodiversity issues.

I think he could actually find a way through the Brexit dilemma which most people, even if it didn't please them, would grudgingly accept. That would a big win.

Brexit challenge for civil service

Britain's civil service will struggle with the workload of Brexit after a 19 per cent reduction in its staff since 2010, with some of the most severe cuts hitting the departments with the biggest Brexit challenges, e.g., Defra with a one third cut in its staff since 2010 despite its heavy EU related responsibilities. This is the central argument of the latest Whitehall Monitor from the Institute for Government: Brexit challenge

The report says that the decision to create a separate Department for Exiting the European Union was unnecessary and it would have been less disruptive to plan Brexit policy out of the well-established Cabinet Office. However, it should be remembered that this was a politically driven decision to create a high profile role for David Davis.

Lib Dems shut out at Defra

Defra is just one of three government departments that does not include a Lib Dem minister. Moreover, all the ministers in the department have strong farming links, inclining them towards a productionist agenda.

Lib Dem farm spokesman Andrew George, the MP for West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, has criticised the Conservative stranglehold on posts. Differences have emerged on the proposed badger cull and the decision to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board.

Mr George has been trying to work with the Secretary of State, Caroline Spelman, to have some say about how budget cuts are made. However, he has admitted that he was 'not yet in the inner circle of Defra ministers'.

Most disagreements are likely to be over matters of domestic policy such as the two that arisen already, rather than attitudes towards the CAP where both parties share a relatively liberal, market oriented stance. However, the Lib Dems are particularly attuned to the concerns of smaller farmers from whom they receive electoral support.

There was speculation that Defra would be abolished or at least re-named, but this seems to be off the agenda for now.

Welcome, Caroline Spelman

Caroline Spelman, the MP for Meriden, is the new secretary of state for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. As it so happens, I was with some Defra civil servants yesterday and they were intrigued about what the outcome might be.

Nick Herbert was the shadow spokesperson, but I was not greatly impressed by some of his comments: indeed, I even thought of writing to him and offering some advice! There was speculation that a Lib Dem might get the post and it has been suggested that one of the junior posts in the department will go to the Lib Dems.

Caroline Spelman has a background with big sugar. She worked for the British Sugar Corporation and held the sugar commodities post at NFU. She also worked for the International Federation of Beet Growers in Paris. I have had some dealings with big sugar myself and I know they are serious players.

Her appointment will no doubt be welcomed by the barley barons in East Anglia and the NFU. Farmers felt that Defra until Labour had become the Department for the Elimination of Farming and Rural Activity. I do think that there are some issues on which they have legitimate grievances, for example the failures of the Rural Payments Agency and policy paralysis on bovine TB.

Against a background of public expenditure restraint which will hit a department like Defra hard, the new ministerial term faces a challenging time. I wish the new team well. The excellent civil servants at Nobel House whom I had the privilege of working with last year are also in my thoughts. I am confident that they will respond to the challenge well, as the British civil service always does.

Cabinet making continues

There is some confusion about the future of Defra with speculation about machinery of government changes. Nick Herbert was the shadow minister but Caroline Spellman, who used to work for the NFU on sugar beet, has also been linked with the post.

Unconfirmed reports from the Scilly Isles suggest that the Liberal Democrat MP for the islands, Andrew George, might become transport secretary. There would be a certain irony in this given the close personal attention that Harold Wilson gave to transport links to his island holiday home. The Scillonian III, which Wilson secured for the islands, is about to be replaced.

However, Radio Scilly has been speculating that George will get the fisheries portfolio.