My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Hilary Benn) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

The Prime Minister has approved the appointment of Will Day as the new chair of the UK Sustainable Development Commission (SDC). This part-time appointment will take effect on 27 July, when Jonathon Porritt steps down after nine years as chair.

Will Day has a strong background in international development. He is the former chief executive of Care International and has spent a significant amount of his career based in Africa. In the UK he has held many roles, including chairman of BBC Children in Need, external adviser to the BBC Corporate Social Responsibility Board and non-executive director of South Kent NHS Hospitals Trust.