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Shuttleworth student now Farm Minister

Shuttleworth College

Former Shuttleworth student Mark Spencer is now the Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) following recent changes.

The former Chief Whip, Mark has been appointed Defra Minister of State, replacing Victoria Prentis.

The MP for Sherwood, who comes from a farming background, said he was: 

“Looking forward to supporting food production and the environment and our rural communities.”

Mark Spencer, Farm Minister.

Born in 1970, Mark, from Nottinghamshire, studied at Shuttleworth College in Bedfordshire, before joining the family farm business.

He became an MP in 2010, and has served on the Environmental Audit Committee and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

He formerly served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to then-Defra Secretary Liz Truss, and was appointed Assistant Government Whip in 2016, before becoming a full government whip in 2017.

Mr Spencer was made Chief Whip in 2019 under Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Vice Principal of The Bedford College Group and lead at Shuttleworth College, Dr Catherine Lloyd said:

“We had Mark in our sights as a VIP visitor when he was Chief Whip, we hope he might take a trip down memory lane to see how we have moved with the times and the modern farming industry here in Central Bedfordshire.”

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