Thérèse Coffey

Dame Thérèse Anne Coffey DBE (born 18 November 1971) is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2019 to 2022 (while Boris Johnson was prime minister) and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from September to October 2022 (under Liz Truss). She served as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from October 2022 to November 2023 (under Rishi Sunak). Coffey, the first woman to hold the title of Deputy Prime Minister, was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Suffolk Coastal from the 2010 to 2024 general elections.

Quotes

• My focus is on how we deliver for patients and I appreciate I may not be the role model, but I am sure that the Chief Medical Officer and others will continue to be role models in that regard and I will do my best as well.
  I will probably get all sorts of comments, Nick, but nevertheless, on a more serious matter, I have been a patient of the NHS too and have had some brilliant experiences and I have had some experiences where it could have been better. My focus is on patients and that is what I will be making sure the department focuses on too.
  • Questioned by Nick Ferrari on LBC after her appointment as Secretary of State for Health, as cited in "'I'm not a role model': Therese Coffey questioned over smoking and weight as Health Secretary" The Telegraph (7 September 2022)

• It's important to make sure that we cherish the specialisms that we have in this country.
  A lot of people would be eating turnips right now rather than thinking necessarily about aspects of lettuce and tomatoes and similar, but I'm conscious that consumers want a year-round choice and that is what our supermarkets, food producers and growers around the world try to satisfy.
  • Speaking in the House of Commons (23 February 2023), as cited in "Thérèse Coffey says turnips could help alleviate fruit and vegetable shortage" The Times (24 February 2023)
  • After being asked about too many imports in the supermarkets and the neglect of seasonal food.

• I'm frankly fed up with the right to roam campaign. The only things that have rights to roam are farmers, their pigs and cattle.
  • At a British Association of Shooting and Conservation event at the Conservative Party conference "Coffey criticised after saying she's 'fed up' with right to roam campaign", The Guardian (2 October 2023)