Ranil Malcolm Jayawardena, a British politician with Sri Lankan roots has vowed to tackle climate issues as the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
He held the Cabinet post since this year.
Previously he was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade from 2020 to 2022. Jayawardena has been a Member of Parliament representing the Conservative Party for North East Hampshire since 2015. Born in London Jayawardena moved to Hampshire before starting school. He had his education at Robert May’s School North, East Hampshire followed by Alton College. Jayawardena graduated from the London School of Economics and worked for Lloyds Banking Group where he became a senior manager.
His father, Nalin Jayawardena is a Sri Lankan who moved to the United Kingdom in 1978 to pursue a career in accountancy. His mother, Indira Jayawardena has an Indian heritage. Ranil also has a brother and sister. Jayawardena lives in Brimley, Hampshire. He is married to Alison (née Roberts), a solicitor, since 2011 and has two daughters and a son. His wife works part-time as a Senior Researcher for his parliamentary office. He is a Christian. As the Secretary for Environment Jayawardena has consistently voted against policies undermining the climate crisis. His appointment by the British Prime Minister Liz Truss has already caused alarm due to Jayawardena’s voting record which shows he has consistently voted against measures to prevent climate change” and also against government support for renewable energy projects.
He has previously said he recognises the importance of the UK taking climate action and has campaigned for improved recycling and supported government moves to ban plastic straws in 2020.
A former a junior minister at the Trade Department Jayawardena replaces George Eustice who held the position since 20202.
Jayawardena’s voting record suggests he favoured less changes to environment regulations that could impact business.
The records on “They Work for You” show Jayawardena voted “not to require a climate and nature emergency impact statement” as part of any proposal for financial assistance under a United Kingdom Internal Market Act, in September 2020. He also said “not to require ministers to have due regard to the target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 when taking actions including setting up “agricultural subsidy schemes”, in October 2020.
As incoming environment secretary, Jayawardena will be responsible for ensuring the UK’s food security and supporting UK farming, while also being the government’s lead figure on protecting the environment, inheriting issues such as sewage-filled water courses and seas, the agricultural impact of the current drought, the spread of bird-flu around the British coast, rewilding programmes, and grappling with the longer-term effects of the worsening climate crisis. His voting record shows he was among the Conservative MPs who voted last year against Defra’s own environmental principles, designed, the department said, to guide ministers and policymakers towards opportunities to prevent environmental damage and enhance the environment, where relevant and appropriate. These principles, put forward by the government, include the “polluter pays principle”, which means that, “where possible, the costs of pollution should be borne by those causing it, rather than the person who suffers the effects of the resulting environmental damage, or the wider community”.
The Conservatives voted against the adoption of the principles which would have required public authorities to take a greater level of environmental action. Jayawardena also voted along with his Conservative colleagues against laws to slash transport emissions by 2030, and also against a proposal to bring forward “a green industrial revolution to decarbonise the economy and boost economic growth”. Both proposals were defeated in the Commons. Following his appointment, Jayawardena said: “It is a privilege to be appointed the Secretary of State for Defra and from food security and backing British farmers, to water security and growing our rural economy. Clearing land to support livestock has not only devastated natural ecosystems across Europe, home to some of the world’s most “nature depleted” states, such as the UK, but is also continuing to drive deforestation in vital environments such as the Amazon rainforest, where soy is grown and used to feed livestock around the world.
Campaigners have called on Jayawardena to strengthen the rules to protect the environment and address the sewage scandal. The public wants to see our natural world enhanced, not degraded further through cuts to vital protections.