Secretary of State for Transport explained

Post:
Secretary of State
for Transport
Insignia:Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government) (2022).svg
Insigniacaption:Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Incumbent:Louise Haigh
Incumbentsince:5 July 2024
Department:Department for Transport
Style:Transport Secretary

The Right Honourable
Type:Minister of the Crown
Status:Secretary of State
Reports To:The Prime Minister
Seat:Westminster
Nominator:The Prime Minister
Appointer:The Monarch
Termlength:At His Majesty's Pleasure
Formation:
  • 19 May 1919:
  • 29 May 2002:
Salary:£159,038 per annum [1]
(including £86,584 MP salary)[2]
First:Eric Campbell Geddes

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 current secretary of state for transport is Louise Haigh, who was appointed under Keir Starmer following Labour's victory in the 2024 United Kingdom general election.

History

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

Minister of Transport (1919–1941)

Colour key (for political parties):

MinisterTerm of officePolitical partyPrime Minister
Eric Campbell Geddes19 May 19197 November 1921ConservativeDavid Lloyd George
William Peel, Viscount Peel7 November 192112 April 1922Conservative
David Lindsay, 27th Earl of Crawford12 April 192231 October 1922Conservative
John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven31 October 192222 January 1924ConservativeBonar Law
Stanley Baldwin
Harry Gosling24 January 19243 November 1924LabourRamsay MacDonald
Wilfrid Ashley11 November 19244 June 1929ConservativeStanley Baldwin
Herbert Morrison7 June 192924 August 1931LabourRamsay MacDonald
John Pybus3 September 193122 February 1933LiberalRamsay MacDonald
Hon. Oliver Stanley22 February 193329 June 1934Conservative
Leslie Hore-Belisha29 June 193428 May 1937National Liberal
Stanley Baldwin
Leslie Burgin28 May 193721 April 1939National LiberalNeville Chamberlain
Euan Wallace21 April 193914 May 1940ConservativeNeville Chamberlain
John Reith14 May 19403 October 1940National IndependentWinston Churchill
John Moore-Brabazon3 October 19401 May 1941Conservative

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

Colour key (for political parties):


Transport
Civil Aviation		Term of officePolitical partyPrime Minister
Frederick Leathers, 1st Viscount Leathers
—1 May 194126 July 1945width=100 ConservativeWinston Churchill
width=130 Philip Cunliffe-Lister, Viscount Swinton8 October 194426 July 1945Conservative
Alfred BarnesReginald Fletcher, 1st Baron Winster3–4 August 19454 October 1946LabourClement Attlee
Harry Nathan, 1st Baron Nathan4 October 194631 May 1948Labour
Francis Pakenham, Lord Pakenham31 May 19481 June 1951Labour
David Rees-Williams, 1st Baron Ogmore1 June 195126 October 1951Labour
Hon. John Maclay31 October 19517 May 1952National LiberalWinston Churchill
Alan Lennox-Boyd7 May 19521 October 1953Conservative

Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation (1953–1959)

Colour key (for political parties):

MinisterTerm of officePolitical partyPrime Minister
width=260 Alan Lennox-Boyd1 October 195328 July 1954width=100 ConservativeWinston Churchill
John Boyd-Carpenter28 July 195420 December 1955Conservative
Harold Watkinson20 December 195514 October 1959ConservativeAnthony Eden
Harold Macmillan

Minister of Transport (1959–1970)

Colour key (for political parties):

MinisterTerm of officePolitical partyPrime Minister
Ernest Marples14 October 195916 October 1964ConservativeHarold Macmillan
Alec Douglas-Home
Thomas Fraser16 October 196423 December 1965LabourHarold Wilson
Barbara Castle23 December 19656 April 1968Labour
Richard Marsh6 April 19686 October 1969Labour
Fred Mulley6 October 196922 June 1970Labour
John Peyton23 June 197014 October 1970ConservativeEdward Heath

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

Colour key (for political parties):

MinisterTerm of officeLength of TermPolitical partyPrime Minister
width=260 Peter Walker15 October 19705 November 1972width=100 ConservativeEdward Heath
Geoffrey Rippon5 November 19724 March 1974Conservative
Anthony Crosland5 March 19748 April 1976LabourHarold Wilson

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

Minister for Transport Industries (1970–1974)

Minister for Transport (1974–1976)

Secretary of State for Transport (1976–1979)

Colour key (for political parties):

Minister of Transport (1979–1981)

Not an official member of the cabinet.

Colour key (for political parties):

Secretary of State for Transport (1981–1997)

Colour key (for political parties):

Secretary of StateTerm of officeLength of TermPolitical partyPrime Minister
width=195 Norman Fowler[14] 5 January 198114 September 1981width=100 ConservativeMargaret Thatcher
David Howell[15] 14 September 198111 June 1983Conservative
Tom King[16] 11 June 198316 October 1983Conservative
Hon. Nicholas Ridley16 October 198321 May 1986Conservative
John Moore[17] 21 May 198613 June 1987Conservative
Paul Channon13 June 198724 July 1989Conservative
Cecil Parkinson[18] 24 July 198928 November 1990Conservative
Malcolm Rifkind[19] 28 November 199010 April 1992ConservativeJohn Major
John MacGregor[20] 11 April 199220 July 1994Conservative
Brian Mawhinney[21] 20 July 19945 July 1995Conservative
Sir George Young, 6th Baronet[22] 5 July 19952 May 1997Conservative

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

See main article: Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Colour key (for political parties):

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

Colour key (for political parties):

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)

Colour key (for political parties):

Secretary of StateTerm of officeLength of TermPolitical partyPrime Minister
Alistair Darling[26]
29 May 20025 May 2006width=100 LabourTony Blair
Douglas Alexander[27]
5 May 200628 June 2007Labour
Ruth Kelly[28]
28 June 20075 October 2008LabourGordon Brown
Geoff Hoon[29]
5 October 20085 June 2009Labour
Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis[30] 6 June 20096 May 2010Labour
Philip Hammond[31] [32]
12 May 201014 October 2011ConservativeDavid Cameron
Justine Greening[33]
14 October 20116 September 2012Conservative
Patrick McLoughlin[34]
6 September 201214 July 2016Conservative
David Cameron
Chris Grayling[35]
14 July 201624 July 2019ConservativeTheresa May
Grant Shapps[36]
24 July 20196 September 2022ConservativeBoris Johnson
Anne-Marie Trevelyan[37]
6 September 202225 October 2022 weeksConservativeLiz Truss
Mark Harper[38]
25 October 20225 July 2024ConservativeRishi Sunak
Louise Haigh[39]
5 July 2024Incumbent daysLabourKeir Starmer

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23 . 15 December 2022.
  2. Web site: Pay and expenses for MPs . 15 December 2022 . parliament.uk.
  3. Web site: Secretary of State for Transport. 30 June 2021. gov.uk.
  4. Web site: Work of the secretary of state for transport scrutinised . UK PARLIAMENT . 20 September 2021 . 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. Book: Records inherited and created by the Ministry of Transport, Shipping Divisions . 1795–1985 . Admiralty, Transport Department, Board of Trade, Mercantile Marine Department, Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Shipping . English.
  6. Web site: 2013-08-15 . Churchill and Air Travel . 2023-11-14 . International Churchill Society . en-US.
  7. Web site: British Police History . 2023-11-14 . british-police-history.uk.
  8. News: Times . Robert B. Semple Jr Special to The New York . 1976-09-11 . Callaghan, in a Surprise Move, Reshuffles His Cabinet . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-11-14 . 0362-4331.
  9. Web site: Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions: annual report 2001 . 2023-11-14 . GOV.UK . en.
  10. Web site: Lord Peyton of Yeovil . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  11. Web site: Lord Mulley . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  12. Web site: Lord Gilbert . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  13. Web site: Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  14. Web site: Lord Fowler . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  15. Web site: Lord Howell of Guildford . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  16. Web site: Lord King of Bridgwater . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  17. Web site: Lord Moore of Lower Marsh . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  18. Web site: Lord Parkinson . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  19. Web site: Sir Malcolm Rifkind . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  20. Web site: Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  21. Web site: Lord Mawhinney . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  22. Web site: Lord Young of Cookham . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  23. Web site: Lord Prescott . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  24. Web site: Mr Stephen Byers . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  25. Web site: John Spellar . UK Parliament . 20 December 2022.
  26. Web site: Lord Darling of Roulanish . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  27. Web site: Mr Douglas Alexander . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  28. Web site: Ruth Kelly . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  29. Web site: Mr Geoffrey Hoon . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  30. Web site: Lord Adonis . 30 December 2021 . UK Parliament.
  31. Web site: Lord Hammond of Runnymede . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  32. Web site: Out with the old cabinet, in with the new. Public Service. 12 May 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110722055031/http://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=12922 . 22 July 2011.
  33. Web site: Justine Greening . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  34. Web site: Lord McLoughlin . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  35. Web site: Chris Grayling . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  36. Web site: Grant Shapps . UK Parliament . 30 December 2021.
  37. Web site: The Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP . 2022-10-04 . GOV.UK . en.
  38. Web site: Mark Harper. UK Parliament . 16 December 2022.
  39. Web site: Louise Haigh. UK Parliament . 5 July 2024.

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