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
His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. , with overall responsibility for the policies of the
Department for Transport
The Department for Transport (DfT) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport ...
. The incumbent is a member of the
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the senior decision-making body of the Government of the United Kingdom. A committee of the Privy Council (United Kingdom), Privy Council, it is chaired by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Prime M ...
.
The office holder works alongside the other
transport ministers. The corresponding
shadow minister is the
shadow secretary of state for transport
The shadow secretary of state for transport is a political post in the United Kingdom. It has been consistently held by a member of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom), Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet since May 1979. The sha ...
, and the secretary of state is also scrutinised by the
Transport Select Committee
The Transport Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Transport
The D ...
.
The position of secretary of state for transport is held by
Heidi Alexander, who was appointed by
Keir Starmer
Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and lawyer who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2024 and as Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He previously ...
following the resignation of
Louise Haigh
Louise Margaret Haigh () is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Transport from July to November 2024. A member of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, she has been the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliam ...
.
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.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation was created by
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
in 1944 to look at peaceful ways of using
aircraft
An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...
and to find something for the aircraft factories to do after the war. The new Conservative government in 1951 appointed the same minister to both Transport and Civil Aviation, finally amalgamating the ministries on 1 October 1953.
The Ministry was renamed back to the Ministry of Transport on 14 October 1959, when a separate
Ministry of Aviation
The Ministry of Aviation was a department of the United Kingdom government established in 1959. Its responsibilities included the regulation of civil aviation and the supply of military aircraft, which it took on from the Ministry of Supply. ...
was formed.
Transport responsibilities were subsumed by the Department for the Environment, headed by the
secretary of state for the environment
The secretary of state for the environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment (DoE). Today, its responsibilities are carried out by the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs and the ...
from 15 October 1970 to 10 September 1976.
The
Department for Transport
The Department for Transport (DfT) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport ...
was recreated as a separate department by
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the L ...
in 1976.
The super-department
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
The Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions was a United Kingdom Cabinet position created in 1997, with responsibility for the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). The position and department ...
was created in 1997 for
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (31 May 1938 – 20 November 2024) was a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007.
A member of the ...
.
In 2001, the
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
The Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions was a United Kingdom Cabinet position created in 1997, with responsibility for the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). The position and department ...
was widely considered unwieldy and so was broken up, 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):
Minister of (War) Transport and Minister of Civil Aviation (1941–1953)
Colour key (for political parties):
Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation (1953–1959)
Colour key (for political parties):
Minister of Transport (1959–1970)
Colour key (for political parties):
Minister within the Department of the Environment (1970–1976)
Colour key (for political parties):
The junior ministers responsible for transport within the Department for the Environment:
Minister for Transport Industries (1970–1974)
*
John Peyton (''Conservative, 15 October 1970 – 7 March 1974'')
Minister for Transport (1974–1976)
*
Fred Mulley (''Labour, 7 March 1974 – 12 June 1975'')
*
John Gilbert (''Labour, 12 June 1975 – 10 September 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 State for Environment, Transport and the Regions (1997–2001)
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
An office is a space where the employees of an organization perform administrative work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...
.
During the lifetime of DTLGR,
John Spellar served as Minister of State for Transport with a right to attend Cabinet.
*
John Spellar (''8 June 2001 – 29 May 2002'')
Secretary of State for Transport (2002–present)
Colour key (for political parties):
Timeline
See also
*
Ministry of Civil Aviation Aerodrome Fire Service
References
External links
Track record: Transport secretaries
{{Use British English, date=November 2024
Transport
Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...
Ministerial offices in the United Kingdom
Department for Transport
Transport ministers
1919 establishments in the United Kingdom