It hasn’t taken long for there to be a change at the Department for Transport with a new Secretary of State for Transport announced on Friday 29th November. The change comes after press reports regarding the outgoing Secretary of State which saw her tender her resignation.
The new Secretary of State will be Heidi Alexander who was previously Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice. She is the current MP for Swindon South having been elected to that seat in July 2024.
This unexpected change, coming less than five months after the election, is unlikely to mean any huge changes for light rail and trams at the department. The next big hope remains West Yorkshire with the chances of more extensions in Manchester also on the cards as well as the ongoing construction in the West Midlands.
The outgoing Secretary of State, Louise Haigh, resigned after there were reports in the press about a previous spent conviction she received before becoming a MP.
- And its not just the UK government where there has been a significant change. On the Isle of Man, Chief Minister Alfred Cannan MHK, has “reinvigorated” his Council of Ministers including at the Department of Infrastructure (which has responsibility for transport including heritage railways) where Dr Michelle Haywood MHK replaces Tim Crookall MHK. Again, it seems unlikely that this change will mean much difference for the tramways on the island where the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway remains in limbo over whether the extension to the Sea Terminal will be re-authorised.