Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh has set out her plans “to get Britain moving” as Transport Secretary in new prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet.

Newly appointed Transport Secretary Louise Haigh

Haigh has been the MP for Sheffield Heeley since 2015 and held the shadow transport brief since 2021. Her stated main priority is ensuring public transport is affordable, accessible and reliable and at last year’s Labour Party Conference Haigh announced Labour’s commitment to bring UK railways into public ownership and to allow local areas to establish their own municipal bus companies.

Haigh has said one of her first jobs will be to sort out the rail and bus networks across the country.

“Labour will bring rail franchises into public ownership as contracts expire and create publicly owned Great British Railways – delivering the biggest overhaul to our railways in a generation.

“And we will massively expand franchising powers, giving every community the power to take back control of our buses.”

Haigh’s background also includes the role of shadow policing officer, which she held from 2017, drawing on her experience as a former Special Constable. She then became shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland in April 2020.

Before becoming an MP, Haigh served as a shop steward for the Unite union to help bring about change in the workplace.