# Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature, formerly the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Land Use, is a junior ministerial position in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The incumbent holder is Member of Parliament (MP) Mary Creagh.

## History
### Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment

Conservative MP David Rutley was the first holder of the position, being appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment on 22 May 2018 in the second May ministry. He briefly served in the position until 19 July 2018, and then the position was vacant for the rest of May's premiership.
Following the resignation of Amber Rudd as Work and Pensions Secretary, Thérèse Coffey was appointed to succeed her. Rebecca Pow was appointed to succeed Coffey under Prime Minister Boris Johnson on 10 September 2019, but with the portfolio for Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment and thus the position was held once more.
Pow served in the position in both the first Johnson ministry and second Johnson ministry before she resigned during the July 2022 government crisis. Steve Double was appointed as her successor on 8 July 2022, serving until the formation of the Truss ministry.

### Natural Environment and Land Use

Trudy Harrison was appointed the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Land Use on 28 October 2022 in the Sunak ministry, having previously held the position of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment under Liz Truss. She resigned from the position in the November 2023 British cabinet reshuffle.

### Nature

Pow returned to the position in the November 2023 British cabinet reshuffle as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature under Rishi Sunak, serving until the 2024 general election.
After the defeat of the Conservative party in the 2024 general election, Labour MP Mary Creagh was appointed to the position under Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

## Responsibilities
### Current

* Circular economy
* Planning and land use framework
* Domestic biodiversity
* Tree planting and forestry
* International nature and wildlife
* Environmental targets and EIP
* Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme
* Green finance
* Protected Landscapes (National Landscapes and National Parks)
* Lead for Office for Environmental Protection
* Lead for Natural England
* Lead for Forestry Commission
* Lead for Joint Nature Conservation Committee
* Lead for Kew

## List of ministers

| Name | Name | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | P.M. | E.Sec. |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment |||||||||
| | David Rutley | 22 May 2018 | 19 July 2018 | Conservative | May | Gove |
| | Rebecca Pow | 10 September 2019 | 7 July 2022 | Conservative | Johnson | Villiers |
| | Rebecca Pow | 10 September 2019 | 7 July 2022 | Conservative | Johnson | Eustice |
| | Steve Double | 8 July 2022 | 8 September 2022 | Conservative | Johnson | Eustice |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Land Use |||||||||
| | Trudy Harrison | 28 October 2022 | 13 November 2023 | Conservative | Sunak | Coffey |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature |||||||||
| | Rebecca Pow | 14 November 2023 | 5 July 2024 | Conservative | Sunak | Barclay |
| | Mary Creagh | 18 July 2024 | Incumbent | Labour | Starmer | Reed |