Author Archives: GK Strategy

Opportunity or Uncertainty? What the government reshuffle means for food and agriculture businesses

The government’s latest reshuffle has moved two Defra heavyweights to new departments. Rt Hon Steve Reed MP and Daniel Zeichner MP had invested time and energy in building relationships with the food and farming industries and getting to grips with the challenges faced by businesses in each. With a new secretary of state heading up the department and a new farming minister now appointed, the challenge for both the ministerial team and the sector is to hit the ground running and ensure policy progress does not stall.  

The first all-female ministerial team, the new Defra team is certainly groundbreaking. Each minister brings experiences from different backgrounds and with that, a different set of priorities. For businesses in the food and agricultural sectors, these appointments signal both opportunity and uncertainty, raising questions about how the department will approach issues like rural growth, food security, and land management.  

A fresh new ministerial line up at Defra presents farming and agricultural businesses with a wealth of opportunities. In the aftermath of a reshuffle, businesses should be thinking about how to best introduce themselves and strike up a relationship with the new team. While getting to grips with their briefs, ministers will be seeking solutions to the challenges they face. Aligning your business with the government’s priorities, and offering tangible solutions, will be the most effective way to gain trust.  

New Appointment: Emma Reynolds – Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 

Emma Reynolds was appointed as Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 5 September 2025, replacing Steve Reed. Reynolds joins Defra from the Treasury, where she served as Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister. She was elected as the MP for Wycombe last year. 

The reaction to Reynolds’ appointment from the agricultural community has been largely positive. Shortly after assuming the role, Reynolds met with NFU President Tom Bradshaw, who described their meeting as a ‘constructive and positive conversation’. Speaking to the Farmers Weekly Podcast, Jonathan Roberts of the Country, Land and Business Association stated that Reynolds is ‘pretty interested’ in farming and that she understands the challenges that the industry is facing. In a year where farmers have been protesting in Westminster, particularly over the issue of inheritance tax relief, rebuilding trust between the agricultural community and the government is crucial. Reynolds’ background in the Treasury could also be an advantage for the industry. Whilst she might lack experience in dealing with agricultural issues, her financial acumen and understanding of how the Treasury works is an important starting point for unlocking rural growth and protecting the industry. 

New Appointment: Dame Angela Eagle CBE – Minister of State (Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs) 

Dame Angela replaced Daniel Zeichner MP as Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs as part of last week’s cabinet reshuffle. Eagle joins Defra from the Home Office, where she served as Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum. She has been the MP for Wallasey for over thirty years and has a wealth of experience in both government and the shadow cabinet. 

Eagle’s appointment has attracted a mixed reaction from the agricultural community. Whilst Eagle’s profile as a senior Labour MP might result in farming becoming a significant issue on the policy agenda, she is seen more as a political operator rather than a sector insider. Despite the backlash regarding changes to inheritance tax relief for agricultural assets, Zeichner was praised for his ability to build relationships with the farming community. Therefore, it is important that Eagle engages with the sector to the same extent and grasps the realities of the challenges faced by the agricultural community. 

Existing Appointment: Emma Hardy MP – Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Water and Flooding) 

Emma Hardy MP was appointed to her current ministerial position in July 2024, having previously served as Shadow Minister for Environmental Quality and Resilience. Hardy is a trained teacher and worked for the National Union of Teachers before entering politics.  

Since taking office, Hardy has dedicated significant funding to enhance resilience against flooding. This includes £60 million in recovery payments to farm businesses, and £50 million to support internal drainage boards in reducing flood risks in rural areas. Hardy has also been proactive in supporting the construction of new infrastructure to enhance water security, such as the Havant Thicket Reservoir. 

However, Hardy has been involved in flashpoints between the government and the agricultural sector. In January 2025, the government rejected an application from British Sugar and the NFU to use an emergency neonicotinoid pesticide on sugar beet, with Hardy stating that the decision was made to protect bees. This illustrates the complexity of government decision making when balancing agricultural productivity with environmental impact. This dynamic is likely to continue throughout the remainder of this parliament.   

Existing Appointment: Mary Creagh MP – Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Nature) 

Mary Creagh MP was appointed as Minister for Nature in July 2024. Creagh has an extensive background in environmental affairs, as previous chair of the Environmental Audit Committee and previous shadow Defra secretary of state.  

Key milestones for her tenure as Minister for Nature include the announcement of a Nature Restoration Fund, which promises to work alongside farms in supporting conservation efforts, and a £1.1 billion boost to improving local recycling services in England. In June 2025, Creagh also announced a £13.6 million scheme to support farming and cut food waste by redistributing surplus produce to homelessness charities and food banks.  

Existing Appointment: Baroness Hayman of Ullock – Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lords Minister) 

Baroness Hayman has been a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at Defra since July 2024, bringing with her extensive parliamentary and environmental experience. Baroness Hayman took up her peerage in the House of Lords in 2020. She served as Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs between 2017 and 2019, and later the Shadow Environmental Spokesperson from 2020 to 2024. 

As a passionate animal welfare advocate, most of Baroness Hayman’s parliamentary activities fall under that responsibility. However, she has also sought to promote the interests of British farmers in supporting government efforts to protect livestock by implementing preventative measures against the spread of foot and mouth disease.  

Private firms poised to benefit from turmoil surrounding U.S. government economic data

By Erin Caddell, Anchor Advisors LLC, in partnership with GK Strategy

Controversy surrounding the U.S. government’s aggregator of economics data has shone a spotlight on privately held firms that gather comparable information. Private economic data-collection firms are likely to enjoy policy-driven tailwinds amidst a period of questioning of the validity of government statistics and pressure on federal spending.

President Trump fired Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Erika McEnterfer in August after a monthly employment report announced downward revisions of U.S. jobs created in May and June of more than 250,000, plus a less-than-expected reading of 73,000 new jobs in July (BLS reported 5 September that 22,000 jobs had been created in August). Trump claimed the jobs numbers were “rigged” to undermine his Administration (Trump ramped up his broadsides further following a 9 September BLS report that lowered its estimates of job creation in the year ending March 2025 by more than 900,000, the largest such revision in its history).

Trump has nominated E.J. Antoni, a Trump loyalist, chief economist of the conservative Heritage Foundation and a BLS critic, to replace McEnterfer as the next Commissioner. Antoni has suggested that if confirmed he may temporarily suspend release of the monthly employment report to validate its methodology. Critics argue Antoni is unqualified since he has never worked in government, while his predecessor spent 20 years at the U.S. Census Bureau and Treasury Department prior to her appointment. Antoni’s detractors have argued further that an overtly partisan Commissioner would undermine public perception of BLS.

Private economic data-collection firms have an opportunity to benefit regardless of Antoni’s fate. If Antoni is confirmed, analysts will mine BLS’ data for signs of political bias. If rejected, the agency will face months without a confirmed leader. Regardless, any sustained run of reported job losses would surely draw further ire from Trump, ratcheting pressure on BLS further. Additionally, the next Commissioner will have to reckon with lower funding and staffing. The Trump Administration has recommended to Congress that BLS’s budget be cut by 8% in F2026, with staffing reduced to an 11-year low (shown below), though this recommendation is subject to Congressional approval. The controversy appears to have already hit BLS’ workforce, with some one-third of leadership positions at the agency reportedly vacant.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) – Congressional Appropriation and Headcount

Fiscal year Appropriation FTEs
2016 609,000 2,195
2017 609,000 2,185
2018 612,000 2,022
2019 605,000 2,057
2020 655,000 1,961
2021 655,000 1,965
2022 687,952 1,949
2023 697,952 2,023
2024 697,952 2,058
2025 703,952 2,019
2026E 647,952 1,851

Source: U.S. Department of Labor. Note: F26E represents DOL’s recommendation to Congress.

Who to Watch

Several players appear positioned to leverage the opportunity to pick up the slack amidst concerns about validity of BLS data, including LinkUp, PriceStats and Yipitdata, as well as industry veterans ADP and Manpower.

LinkUp uses data sent directly by companies as well as publicly available information to provide analysis of national and local employment trends. LinkUp was acquired in November 2024 by GlobalData, a publicly traded U.K.-based firm (London stock ticker DATA). Lightcast provides a similar service, and last year was acquired by KKR. In the inflation arena, PriceStats is a self-funded firm founded in 2011, which uses public information to generate daily inflation reports in the U.S. and 24 other countries. Similarly, Yipitdata uses automated scans of millions of websites to assess changes in consumer behavior; Yipitdata raised $475m from Carlyle in 2021. Numerator is a startup that uses online surveys to help companies assess perceptions of their products and brands with consumers. While not exact parallels to BLS, these companies could reposition their businesses to more directly capture employment data.

The best-known alternative to the BLS is a monthly report produced by payroll administrator ADP. Similarly, staffing firm Manpower Group produces a quarterly survey on U.S. staffing trends. While less comprehensive than BLS’, there is an opportunity for ADP or Manpower to expand their data sets – and charge for the service – given the turmoil at BLS.

Historically, the federal government’s dominant place as the provider of U.S. economic data has made the notion of private-sector replacements seem woefully inadequate. Yet as with many developments in Trump’s second term, wishing for a “return to normal” is just that – a wish. The credibility of government economic data will continue to be questioned, while BLS’s funding and staffing pressures persist. The private sector has a clear opportunity to step in and fill the void.

Reform party conference highlights Farage’s professionalisation drive

Since the 2024 general election, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has focused on shifting the perception that the party is a ‘one man band’. While Reform has outperformed both Labour and the Conservatives in the opinion polls throughout the summer, Farage is aware that there remain serious questions about whether his party is capable of governing effectively should it win the next general election.

On 5 September, as Reform kicked off the 2025 party conference season in Birmingham, it seemed as if the party had been successful in attracting much of the political media’s attention. This was a noticeable departure from previous years where Labour and Conservative conferences had dominated the news cycle.

The breaking news of a cabinet reshuffle following Angela Rayner’s resignation threatened to overshadow the first day of Reform’s conference. However, the party leadership spotted an opportunity to highlight the crisis that was enveloping the government and present Reform as a serious and professional alternative. As a result, Farage’s speech was pushed forward by three hours to ensure that he could be the first of Keir Starmer’s political opponents to react to Rayner’s departure from government.

Farage did not hold back, arguing that the government was ‘deep in crisis’ and was filled with people who were ‘wholly unqualified’ to run the country. He spoke of a Labour Party that was fractured and short of ideas, contrasting it with his own party, which he argued was ‘on the rise’. Farage claimed that Reform would be ready for any scenario, including an early general election. As a result, a new department would be established within the party focused on preparing for government. In addition to the new department, Farage said that the party would also prioritise the recruitment of experienced political operators – and used the opportunity to introduce former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries to party members, following her defection from the Conservative Party.

Regarding its electoral strategy, Farage stated that Reform views the 2026 Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd elections as important opportunities, viewing them as an ’essential building block’ ahead of a general election. He added that Reform would aim to vet 5,000 candidates by next year to give itself the best chance of success in those elections.

Unsurprisingly, Farage did not make any detailed policy announcements, instead choosing to use his speech to energise Reform’s base. He told party members in attendance that if elected Reform would make cuts to the welfare system, scrap ‘harmful’ net zero policies, and stop small boats crossing the English Channel within two weeks of passing legislation. These pledges were also heard by business leaders, and lobbyists attending Reform’s conference for the first time – a sign that the party is now regarded as a serious contender. Reform also followed the example of the more established political parties by hosting fringe/policy events and business stands away from the main conference hall, further highlighting the party’s efforts to build new relationships with the UK’s business community.

Despite these efforts, Farage still needs greater message discipline from Reform members if he is to convince voters that the party is fully capable of running the country. During fringe events, orthodox policy conversations were disrupted by the sharing of conspiracy theories about international institutions and vaccines. Farage himself has also been keen to recreate the rambunctious energy of the Trump campaign rallies that he has attended at Reform’s events. As a result, there is a risk that unnecessary headlines will be generated by overeager and ill-disciplined speakers and attendees that could dent Reform’s attempts at professionalisation. Greater Lincolnshire Mayor Andrea Jenkyns singing a self-written song during her speech is unlikely to alleviate voters’ doubts that Reform has high quality politicians beyond Farage. Likewise, the decision to platform speakers like Lucy Connolly, who had been imprisoned for inciting racial hatred against asylum seekers, is also unlikely to endear the party to voters beyond its traditional base.

It is evident that Reform’s reputation has improved in recent years. However, YouGov polling from 4 September showed that voters still do not trust the party to deliver on key issues such as managing the economy, healthcare, housing, energy, and the cost of living. While the party conference was a small step in the right direction in terms of Reform’s establishment as a major threat to Labour and the Conservatives, it is clear that Nigel Farage still has work to do to professionalise the party and improve its standing on policy issues beyond immigration.

Starmer’s forced reshuffle won’t distract from the challenges ahead

Keir Starmer has a natural dislike for carrying out reshuffles, recognising the political damage they have caused for several of his predecessors. Reshuffles can end up creating more enemies than friends, and despite a working majority of over 150, Starmer will be only too aware that his personal approval rating is at its lowest ebb since the election last year.

While the timing of the reshuffle was far from ideal, the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner for a failure to pay the correct amount of stamp duty forced his hand. Last week was originally billed as the second phase of the Labour government’s programme for change. If year one was about clearing up the Conservative mess, year two was supposed to be all about implementation and delivery. But no sooner than No.10 had announced its 2.0 reset, the government’s ethics adviser found Rayner in breach of the ministerial code, forcing Starmer onto the back foot and wrestling to regain the political narrative.

Emerging from the reshuffle were three themes. The first was the rise of Labour’s future leadership candidates. On the Blairite wing of the party is the immovable Wes Streeting at Health. With waiting times for elective care heading in the right direction and one of the best media performers in government, Streeting has embedded his position as one of the big beasts within the party.  Another MP that has moved firmly centre stage is Shabana Mahmood. Applauded for her handling of the prison crisis shortly after Labour entered office, she has been rewarded with a big promotion to the Home Office. Mahmood is seen as part of Blue Labour – a movement within the party designed to promote policies that bring back working class ‘blue-collar’ communities to Labour. Mahmood has demonstrated she is willing to take a more radical approach to policy, and with the small boats at the top of the political agenda, she has been entrusted to stop the crossings and eliminate the asylum backlog.

The second theme thrown into stark relief by Rayner’s departure is the widening gap in the soft left of the Party. There is an opportunity for someone on this wing to pick up the baton as a future leadership candidate. Some of the candidates emerging on the soft left, including Bridget Phillipson, Louise Haigh and Emily Thornberry, have already thrown their hats into the ring to become the next Deputy Labour leader. This is a potential headache for Starmer, who used this reshuffle to secure positions for several Blairites within the Cabinet, and who won’t want a powerful counterpoint within the party creating unhelpful new powerbases. One to watch will be Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who is believed to want to return to Westminster politics at some point in the future. The deputy leadership race will run until 25 October, and all eyes will be on whether the internal party politics of the next six weeks create wider political difficulties for Starmer. The mood of the Parliamentary Labour Party will be under the spotlight, as will the success (or not) of No.10 and the Whips Office at party management.

The final theme to note is that Starmer has brought several experienced MPs back into government, and moved out some familiar faces. Ian Murray, former Secretary of State for Scotland, may be justified if he feels hard done by, having been shuffled out of government. During Labour’s years in opposition he was the only Labour MP in Scotland. In a sign of Starmer’s willingness to be ruthless when required, he has brought back veteran politician Douglas Alexander, who served in the cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, to head up the Scotland brief. Another example is Emma Reynolds, who has been appointed Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Reynolds was an MP between 2010 and 2019 and successfully ousted Conservative MP Steve Baker at the 2024 General Election to return to parliament. The experience of these senior politicians reflects Starmer’s commitment to focus on delivery.

After a difficult first year in government that saw the Prime Minister expend a significant amount of political capital, and with a challenging Budget ahead, Starmer will be acutely aware that his government must now deliver. Otherwise, there is a real risk that this period of labour in office could be viewed as a wasted opportunity.

Labour’s second year in office will be politically charged. Important pieces of legislation will be brought forward and new policy will be developed and introduced. This represents an opportunity for organisations to engage in the policy making process and have their voices heard. If you would like to discuss how best to achieve cut-through in a busy political environment, please do get in touch with GK Strategy’s expert team of political strategists and government relations experts.

Making the most of party conference season

GK Strategy is pleased to share its guide to effective engagement with policymakers during party conference season.

Insight from the GK team on making the most of party conferences can be accessed here: https://gkstrategy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Engaging-at-Party-Conference-Season-GK-Strategy-September-2025.pdf

From the Dragons’ den to Defra’s: new government funding to boost agri-tech

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has launched a new £12.6 million funding package to support agri-tech innovation. It will be a ‘Dragons Den’-style process comprising two competitions. Forming part of the government’s Farming Innovation Programme, these competitions will reward the businesses that can offer the most innovative solutions to systemic challenges in the agricultural sector, such as rising costs and environmental pressures.

This initiative represents a progression of the government’s New Deal for Farmers and is a signal that agri-tech is a core component of its food security and rural growth strategy. Whilst the government has already pledged to allocate £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over the next parliament, this additional funding arrives at a politically sensitive moment for the agricultural industry. The government’s relationship with the agricultural community has been tested during Labour’s first year in office, particularly following widespread backlash against the 2024 autumn budget’s proposed changes to inheritance tax. Against this backdrop, increased funding is not only an economic stimulus to encourage technological development, but also an attempt to reset the government’s political relationship with the agricultural sector. As a visible commitment to supporting innovation-led growth, it indicates that the government is listening to the sector’s demands for long-term solutions rather than short-term fixes.

The funding itself will be delivered through two competitions set to open from mid-September. The Small R&D Partnerships competition, launching on 15 September, will offer up to £7.8 million to support later-stage projects that are near commercial readiness. The strongest bids will be those that are able to demonstrate how their product or service will improve productivity, sustainability, progression, and resilience, as well as having a clear avenue to market upon. The second competition, allocating up to £4.8 million for early-stage ideas, will open on 13 October and is designed to assist developers in scaling up their project. Both competitions will be carried out in partnership with Innovate UK.

This is positive news for businesses in the agri-tech sector. The government is actively seeking to fund scalable, practical technologies that can solve the problems straining today’s agricultural sector. Rather than simply financing projects that are market-ready, the government is willing to fund the development of ideas. It solidifies the role that agri-tech plays in enhancing sustainability and boosting rural productivity via technological innovation.

Ultimately, this announcement acts as a timely reminder that agricultural innovation is  recognised by the government as a mechanism for economic growth and as a frontier industry in the UK’s industrial strategy. As the government seeks to establish a balance between regulation, business support, and long-term agricultural resilience, initiatives like these will play a central role in shaping the next generation of British farming.

If you wish to discuss the government’s agri-tech policy or how to access this funding, please reach out to thea@gkstrategy.com.