Commenting on today’s [Thursday] Efra committee report on the farm payments "catastrophe" which questions whether former Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett should have been sacked, Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Chris Huhne MP said:

"Heads should have rolled after this shambles. It is astonishing that instead of being sacked Margaret Beckett was promoted to Foreign Secretary. The Prime Minister valued loyalty above competence, which explains why the Government continues to fail to do its job properly.

"In Scotland and Wales, farm payments were made without problems because ministers tailored their ambitions to their abilities. In England, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs fell flat on its face by trying to run before it could walk.

"The historic reform of the Common Agricultural Policy with the end of direct production subsidies could have been a new start for English farming. Instead, with up to a fifth of payments still being queried and a colossal EU fine looming for UK taxpayers, the farm payment fiasco is still far from over.

"Until ministers take responsibility for their mistakes, as they used to do, there will be no incentive to concentrate on getting things right. The last honourable resignation after a policy failure was Lord Carrington over the invasion of the Falkland islands."