Steve Reed to announce review of Defra regulations
© Lauren Hurley/10 Downing Street Defra secretary Steve Reed is due to announce a new review of the department’s regulations, with a view to putting economic growth at the heart of its activities.
In an interview with The Times, Mr Reed said the review would be led by economist Dan Corry.
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Country Land and Business Association president Victoria Vyvyan said of the plans: “The countryside is full of dynamic and forward-thinking businesses. But they are being held back by a political system that treats rural areas as a museum, instead of as a living, breathing part of the economy.
“Ministers need a laser-like focus on identifying and removing the barriers to economic growth in the countryside. These include our woeful planning system, lack of affordable housing, poor connectivity and what is often an anti-business attitude among National Park authorities.
“The rural economy is 16% less productive than the national average, and closing that gap could add £43bn to UK Gross Value Added. The government has the opportunity to unlock this enormous potential; with the right support, rural businesses can generate growth, creating good jobs and prosperity for every community.”
Economic growth
Mr Reed is not the first Defra secretary to commit the department to a focus on economic growth.
In 2022, Ranil Jayawardena, who was secretary of state under Liz Truss, told the Conservative Party conference that Defra should be seen as an “economic growth department”, not a regulatory one.
At the time, environmental groups feared this would lead to a bonfire of regulations and a cutting of standards.
News of the regulatory review comes hot on the heels of a separate rapid review of the government’s Environmental Improvement plan, which was published at the start of 2023 by the Conservatives.
As part of this review, ministers are looking at which commitments in the plan are the most important to deliver improvements to nature, and how the plan can better support outside organisations to contribute to the delivery of legally binding targets, among other things.