Mrs Down's Diary
t long last we have received some of our Single Farm Payment- 80 per cent of it. Exactly. So that means that Defra knows how much are owed for complying with their requests, as the ministry is now run by environmentalists instead of agronomists.
This payment was due last autumn, promised by the end of February, then March, then April, then who knows. Suddenly change of minister and the cheque drops on the doormat.
Mrs Beckett did not cover herself in glory when in charge of Defra, so it is a mystery to the world, and somewhat alarming that she has been promoted to such a responsible post as Foreign Minister.
For full feature see WSG May 31