The Government has appointed Heidi Alexander as its new Secretary of State for Transport following the departure of Louise Haigh this morning.

Heidi Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport

Haigh wrote to the Prime Minister tendering her resignation after admitting she was convicted for making a false report to police over a mobile phone stolen in 2013.

She was given a conditional discharge by magistrates following the incident, which happened before she became an MP. But Haigh said the issue, revealed by Sky News and The Times, would “inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this government and the policies to which we are both committed”.

Her successor, Heidi Alexander, has been the Labour MP for Swindon South since July’s general election. She was previously a minister of state in the Ministry of Justice and served as Sadiq Khan’s deputy transport mayor between 2018 and 2021.

Her immediate brief will include the rework of the ZEV mandate, alongside Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, after the pair met with carmakers including Stellantis, Nissan and Ford last week to discuss a downturn in EV demand and manufacturers’ concerns over the ZEV mandate.

Since that meeting, and the shock news from Stellantis of its plans to close the historic Vauxhall plant in Luton, the Government has confirmed it will run a “fast-track consultation” on the EV rules.

Other items on Alexander’s agenda include government work on a new Integrated National Transport Strategy.

The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport UK (CILT(UK)) welcomed Alexander’s appointment.

Daniel Parker-Klein, CILT(UK)’s director of public policy and communications, said: “We look forward to working collaboratively with her to drive forward sustainable, efficient, and passenger-focused solutions across the sector and support the wider supply chain.”

CILT(UK) also welcomed yesterday’s announcement of the proposal for the Integrated National Transport Strategy.

Parker-Klein said: “CILT(UK) has consistently called for a long-term strategy facilitating the effective movement of goods and people and one which strengthens our supply chains.

“It is essential for addressing the evolving needs of our transport sector, enabling growth, protecting the environment and sustainably connecting communities to the services and goods they need.

“We look forward to collaborating with the Government to ensure this vision aligns with the priorities of the sector.”

Logistics UK has outlined the opportunity for the next Secretary of State to drive Labour’s growth mission by prioritising logistics and acknowledging its foundational role in the economy.

Chief Executive David Wells said: “The vision for the Integrated National Transport Strategy launched yesterday was not integrated as it did not include logistics, a major user and provider of our transport networks.

“The next Secretary of State for Transport has a huge opportunity to address the decline in logistics productivity, drive growth and secure the sector’s place in the forthcoming Industrial Strategy, including through a genuinely integrated transport strategy that meets the needs of the travelling public while facilitating the efficient movement of freight.”