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Michael Gove appointed as environment secretary
Mr Gove served as justice secretary from 2015-16 but Mrs May did not appoint him to the cabinet when she became Prime Minister last July.
Andrea Leadsom becomes leader of the Commons 

Theresa May has appointed Michael Gove as Defra’s secretary of state during a cabinet reshuffle.

Mr Gove, elected as Conservative MP for Surrey Heath in 2005, served as justice secretary from 2015-16, but Mrs May did not appoint him to the cabinet when she became Prime Minister last July.

Andrea Leadsom has served as Defra secretary of state since she was appointed in July 2016, succeeding Liz Truss, who replaced Mr Gove as justice secretary. As of 11 June, Mrs Leadsom was appointed Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons.

As environment secretary, Mr Gove will be responsible for:
  • overseeing EU exit work and the overall policy programme
  • international relations
  • emergencies
  • departmental administration

Other governmental roles fulfilled by Mr Gove include shadow minister for housing (2005-2007), shadow secretary of state for children, schools and families (2007-2010) and education secretary (2010). More recently he has served as government chief whip, parliamentary secretary to the treasury and lord chancellor.

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Annual submission deadline small pet animal exemptions

News Story 1
 Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.

Submitting this annual return ensures continued compliance with regulatory requirements for products marketed without a full Marketing Authorisation. The exemption specifically applies to products intended for animals, cage birds, terrarium animals, small rodents, ferrets and rabbits.

For further details and submission guidelines, visit the gov.uk website.  

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue RZ extended across Scotland

The Scottish Government has announced an extension to a Bluetongue Restricted Zone that is in place in south-west Scotland.

From 3 October, the Restricted Zone will be extended to cover the whole of Scotland. The Animal, Plant and Health Agency (APHA) says this is in response to further disease spread, as well as simplify trading conditions ahead of the autumn.

Since the whole country will share a disease status, it will no longer be necessary to have a movement license to move susceptible livestock around the country. Restrictions on germinal products remain.

As of 1 October 2026, there were 1,979 cases of BTV-3 in England, 389 cases in Wales and 40 cases in Scotland.