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Secretary of State for Transport

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United Kingdom
Secretary of State
for Transport
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
since 29 November 2024
Department for Transport
StyleTransport Secretary
(informal)
The Right Honourable
(within the UK and Commonwealth)
TypeMinister of the Crown
StatusSecretary of State
Member of
Reports toThe Prime Minister
SeatWestminster
NominatorThe Prime Minister
AppointerThe Monarch
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term lengthAt His Majesty's Pleasure
Formation
  • 19 May 1919:
    (as Minister of Transport)
  • 29 May 2002:
    (as Secretary of State for Transport)
First holderEric Campbell Geddes
(as Minister of Transport)
Salary£159,038 per annum (2022)[1]
(including £86,584 MP salary)[2]
Websitewww.dft.gov.uk
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The secretary of state for transport, also referred to as the transport secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the policies of the Department for Transport.[3] The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.

The office holder works alongside the other transport ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for transport, and the secretary of state is also scrutinised by the Transport Select Committee.[4]

The position of secretary of state for transport is held by Heidi Alexander, who was appointed by Keir Starmer following the resignation of Louise Haigh.

History

[edit]

The Ministry of Transport absorbed the Ministry of Shipping and was renamed the Ministry of War Transport in 1941, but resumed its previous name at the end of the war.[5]

The Ministry of Civil Aviation was created by Winston Churchill in 1944 to look at peaceful ways of using aircraft and to find something for the aircraft factories to do after the war.[6] The new Conservative government in 1951 appointed the same minister to both Transport and Civil Aviation, finally amalgamating the ministries on 1 October 1953.[7]

The Ministry was renamed back to the Ministry of Transport on 14 October 1959, when a separate Ministry of Aviation was formed.

Transport responsibilities were subsumed by the Department for the Environment, headed by the secretary of state for the environment from 15 October 1970 to 10 September 1976.

The Department for Transport was recreated as a separate department by James Callaghan in 1976.[8]

The super-department Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions was created in 1997 for Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

In 2001, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions was widely considered unwieldy and so was broken up,[9] with the Transport functions now combined with Local Government and the Regions in the DTLR (Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions).

List of ministers and secretaries of state

[edit]

Minister of Transport (1919–1941)

[edit]

Colour key (for political parties):
  Conservative   Labour   National Labour   Liberal   National Liberal

Minister Term of office Political party Prime Minister
Eric Campbell Geddes 19 May 1919 7 November 1921 Conservative David Lloyd George
(Coalition)
William Peel, Viscount Peel 7 November 1921 12 April 1922 Conservative
David Lindsay, 27th Earl of Crawford 12 April 1922 31 October 1922 Conservative
John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven 31 October 1922 22 January 1924 Conservative Bonar Law
Stanley Baldwin
Harry Gosling 24 January 1924 3 November 1924 Labour Ramsay MacDonald
Wilfrid Ashley 11 November 1924 4 June 1929 Conservative Stanley Baldwin
Herbert Morrison 7 June 1929 24 August 1931 Labour Ramsay MacDonald
John Pybus 3 September 1931 22 February 1933 Liberal Ramsay MacDonald
(1st & 2nd National min.)
Hon. Oliver Stanley 22 February 1933 29 June 1934 Conservative
Leslie Hore-Belisha 29 June 1934 28 May 1937 National Liberal
Stanley Baldwin
(3rd National min.)
Leslie Burgin 28 May 1937 21 April 1939 National Liberal Neville Chamberlain
(4th National min.)
Euan Wallace 21 April 1939 14 May 1940 Conservative Neville Chamberlain
(War Coalition)
John Reith 14 May 1940 3 October 1940 National Independent Winston Churchill
(War Coalition)
John Moore-Brabazon 3 October 1940 1 May 1941 Conservative

Minister of (War) Transport and Minister of Civil Aviation (1941–1953)

[edit]

Colour key (for political parties):
  Conservative   Labour   National Liberal

Minister of
Transport 		Minister of
Civil Aviation 		Term of office Political party Prime Minister
Frederick Leathers, 1st Viscount Leathers
(Min. of War Transport) 		— 1 May 1941 26 July 1945 Conservative Winston Churchill
(War Coalition)
Philip Cunliffe-Lister, Viscount Swinton 8 October 1944 26 July 1945 Conservative
Alfred Barnes Reginald Fletcher, 1st Baron Winster 3–4 August 1945 4 October 1946 Labour Clement Attlee
Harry Nathan, 1st Baron Nathan 4 October 1946 31 May 1948 Labour
Francis Pakenham, Lord Pakenham 31 May 1948 1 June 1951 Labour
David Rees-Williams, 1st Baron Ogmore 1 June 1951 26 October 1951 Labour
Hon. John Maclay 31 October 1951 7 May 1952 National Liberal Winston Churchill
Alan Lennox-Boyd 7 May 1952 1 October 1953 Conservative

Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation (1953–1959)

[edit]

Colour key (for political parties):
  Conservative

Minister Term of office Political party Prime Minister
Alan Lennox-Boyd 1 October 1953 28 July 1954 Conservative Winston Churchill
John Boyd-Carpenter 28 July 1954 20 December 1955 Conservative
Harold Watkinson 20 December 1955 14 October 1959 Conservative Anthony Eden
Harold Macmillan

Minister of Transport (1959–1970)

[edit]

Colour key (for political parties):
  Conservative   Labour

Minister Term of office Political party Prime Minister
Ernest Marples 14 October 1959 16 October 1964 Conservative Harold Macmillan
Alec Douglas-Home
Thomas Fraser 16 October 1964 23 December 1965 Labour Harold Wilson
Barbara Castle 23 December 1965 6 April 1968 Labour
Richard Marsh 6 April 1968 6 October 1969 Labour
Fred Mulley[10] 6 October 1969 22 June 1970 Labour
John Peyton[11] 23 June 1970 14 October 1970 Conservative Edward Heath

Minister within the Department of the Environment (1970–1976)

[edit]

Colour key (for political parties):
  Conservative   Labour

Minister Term of office Length of Term Political party Prime Minister
Peter Walker 15 October 1970 5 November 1972 2 years Conservative Edward Heath
Geoffrey Rippon 5 November 1972 4 March 1974 1 year, 3 months Conservative
Anthony Crosland 5 March 1974 8 April 1976 2 years, 1 month Labour Harold Wilson

The junior ministers responsible for transport within the Department for the Environment:

Minister for Transport Industries (1970–1974)

[edit]

Minister for Transport (1974–1976)

[edit]

Secretary of State for Transport (1976–1979)

[edit]

Colour key (for political parties):
  Labour

Secretary of State Term of office Length of Term Political party Prime Minister
Bill Rodgers[13] 10 September 1976 4 May 1979 2 years, 7 months Labour James Callaghan

Minister of Transport (1979–1981)

[edit]

Not an official member of the cabinet.

Colour key (for political parties):
  Conservative

Minister Term of office Length of Term Political party Prime Minister
Norman Fowler[14] 11 May 1979 5 January 1981 1 year, 7 months Conservative Margaret Thatcher

Secretary of State for Transport (1981–1997)

[edit]

Colour key (for political parties):
  Conservative

Secretary of State Term of office Length of Term Political party Prime Minister
Norman Fowler[14] 5 January 1981 14 September 1981 8 months Conservative Margaret Thatcher
David Howell[15] 14 September 1981 11 June 1983 1 year, 8 months Conservative
Tom King[16] 11 June 1983 16 October 1983 4 months Conservative
Hon. Nicholas Ridley 16 October 1983 21 May 1986 2 years, 7 months Conservative
John Moore[17] 21 May 1986 13 June 1987 1 year Conservative
Paul Channon 13 June 1987 24 July 1989 2 years, 1 month Conservative
Cecil Parkinson[18] 24 July 1989 28 November 1990 1 year, 4 months Conservative
Malcolm Rifkind[19] 28 November 1990 10 April 1992 2 years, 8 months Conservative John Major
John MacGregor[20] 11 April 1992 20 July 1994 2 years, 3 months Conservative
Brian Mawhinney[21] 20 July 1994 5 July 1995 11 months Conservative
Sir George Young, 6th Baronet[22] 5 July 1995 2 May 1997 1 year, 9 months Conservative

Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions (1997–2001)

[edit]
Main article: Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions

Colour key (for political parties):
  Labour

Secretary of State Term of office Length of Term Political party Prime Minister
John Prescott[23]
MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle

MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle

2 May 1997 7 June 2001 4 years, 1 month Labour Tony Blair

Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (2001–2002)

[edit]

Colour key (for political parties):
  Labour

Secretary of State Term of office Length of Term Political party Prime Minister
Stephen Byers[24]

MP for North Tyneside

8 June 2001 28 May 2002 11 months Labour Tony Blair

After Byers' resignation, such a division was made, with the portfolios of Local Government and the Regions transferred to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

During the lifetime of DTLGR, John Spellar served as Minister of State for Transport with a right to attend Cabinet.

Secretary of State for Transport (2002–present)

[edit]

Colour key (for political parties):
  Conservative   Labour

Secretary of State Term of office Length of Term Political party Prime Minister
Alistair Darling[26]
MP for Edinburgh South West 		29 May 2002 5 May 2006 3 years, 11 months Labour Tony Blair
Douglas Alexander[27]
MP for Paisley and South Renfrewshire 		5 May 2006 28 June 2007 1 year, 1 month Labour
Ruth Kelly[28]
MP for Bolton West 		28 June 2007 5 October 2008 1 year, 3 months Labour Gordon Brown
Geoff Hoon[29]
MP for Ashfield 		5 October 2008 5 June 2009 8 months Labour
Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis[30] 6 June 2009 6 May 2010 11 months Labour
Philip Hammond[31][32]
MP for Runnymede and Weybridge 		12 May 2010 14 October 2011 1 year, 5 months Conservative David Cameron
(Coalition)
Justine Greening[33]
MP for Putney 		14 October 2011 6 September 2012 10 months Conservative
Patrick McLoughlin[34]
MP for Derbyshire Dales 		6 September 2012 14 July 2016 3 years, 10 months Conservative
David Cameron
(II)
Chris Grayling[35]
MP for Epsom and Ewell 		14 July 2016 24 July 2019 3 years, 10 days Conservative Theresa May
Grant Shapps[36]
MP for Welwyn Hatfield 		24 July 2019 6 September 2022 3 years, 1 month Conservative Boris Johnson
Anne-Marie Trevelyan[37]
MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed 		6 September 2022 25 October 2022 7 weeks Conservative Liz Truss
Mark Harper[38]
MP for Forest of Dean 		25 October 2022 5 July 2024 1 year, 8 months Conservative Rishi Sunak
Louise Haigh[39]
MP for Sheffield Heeley 		5 July 2024 29 November 2024 5 months Labour Keir Starmer
Heidi Alexander[40]
MP for Swindon South 		29 November 2024 Incumbent 17 days Labour

Timeline

[edit]
Heidi AlexanderLouise HaighMark HarperAnne-Marie TrevelyanGrant ShappsChris GraylingPatrick McLoughlinJustine GreeningPhilip HammondAndrew AdonisGeoff HoonRuth KellyDouglas AlexanderAlistair DarlingStephen ByersJohn PrescottGeorge Young, Baron Young of CookhamBrian MawhinneyJohn MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham MarketMalcom RifkindCecil ParkinsonPaul ChannonJohn Moore, Baron Moore of Lower MarshNicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of LiddesdaleTom KingDavid Howell, Baron Howell of GuildfordNorman FowlerBill RodgersAnthony CroslandGeoffrey RipponPeter Walker, Baron Walker of WorcesterJohn Peyton, Baron Peyton of YeovilFred MulleyRichard Marsh, Baron MarshBarbara CastleTom FraserErnest MarplesHarold WatkinsonJohn Boyd-CarpenterAlan Lennox-BoydJohn MaclayAlfred Barnes, 1st Baron OgmoreFrederick LeathersJohn Moore-BrabazonJohn Reith, 1st Baron ReithEuan WallaceLeslie BurginLeslie Hore-BelishaOliver StanleyJohn PybusHerbert MorrisonWilfrid AshleyHarry GoslingJohn Baird, 1st Viscount StonehavenDavid Lindsay, 27th Earl of CrawfordWilliam Peel, 1st Earl PeelEric Campbell Geddes

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Secretary of State for Transport". gov.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Work of the secretary of state for transport scrutinised". UK PARLIAMENT. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2022. This oral evidence session will examine the work and responsibilities of the Secretary of State for Transport and the Department for Transport.
  5. ^ Records inherited and created by the Ministry of Transport, Shipping Divisions. Admiralty, Transport Department, Board of Trade, Mercantile Marine Department, Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Shipping. 1795–1985.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. ^ "Churchill and Air Travel". International Churchill Society. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  7. ^ "British Police History". british-police-history.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  8. ^ Times, Robert B. Semple Jr Special to The New York (11 September 1976). "Callaghan, in a Surprise Move, Reshuffles His Cabinet". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  9. ^ "Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions: annual report 2001". GOV.UK. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Lord Mulley". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Lord Peyton of Yeovil". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Lord Gilbert". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Lord Fowler". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Lord Howell of Guildford". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  16. ^ "Lord King of Bridgwater". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  17. ^ "Lord Moore of Lower Marsh". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  18. ^ "Lord Parkinson". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Sir Malcolm Rifkind". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  20. ^ "Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  21. ^ "Lord Mawhinney". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Lord Young of Cookham". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  23. ^ "Lord Prescott". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Mr Stephen Byers". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  25. ^ "John Spellar". UK Parliament. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  26. ^ "Lord Darling of Roulanish". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  27. ^ "Mr Douglas Alexander". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  28. ^ "Ruth Kelly". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  29. ^ "Mr Geoffrey Hoon". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  30. ^ "Lord Adonis". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  31. ^ "Lord Hammond of Runnymede". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  32. ^ "Out with the old cabinet, in with the new". Public Service. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  33. ^ "Justine Greening". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  34. ^ "Lord McLoughlin". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  35. ^ "Chris Grayling". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  36. ^ "Grant Shapps". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  37. ^ "The Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  38. ^ "Mark Harper". UK Parliament. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  39. ^ "Louise Haigh". UK Parliament. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  40. ^ Belger, Tom (29 November 2024). "New Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander unveiled after Louise Haigh resigns". LabourList. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
[edit]

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