Secretary of State for Transport
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| Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Transport | |
|---|---|
_(St_Edwards_Crown).svg) | |
| Department for Transport | |
| Style | Transport Secretary (informal) The Right Honourable (within the UK and the Commonwealth) |
| Appointer | The Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister |
| Formation | 19 May 1919 |
| First holder | Eric Campbell Geddes |
| Website | www |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Politics of the United Kingdom |
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The Secretary of State for Transport, also referred to as the Transport Secretary, is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport.[1] The office used to be called the Minister of Transport and has been merged with the Department for the Environment at various times.
The Secretary of State is supported by a small team of junior Ministers. Each Minister is a Member of Parliament from either the House of Commons or the House of Lords. The number of Ministers supporting the Secretary of State for Transport vary from time to time, but is usually about 3. The titles given to these Ministers also vary. Currently the positions are held by one Minister of State for Transport and two Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for Transport.
During the tenure of different governments the title of Minister of/for Transport has been used to refer to the Secretary of State for Transport, one or more of the junior Ministers or even both the Secretary of State and the junior Ministers at the same time.
From 2003 until June 2007 the role of Secretary of State for Transport was combined with the role of Secretary of State for Scotland. This arrangement changed on 28 June 2007, when in the appointment of his first Cabinet, Prime Minister Gordon Brown assigned the responsibilities of Secretary of State for Scotland to Des Browne, his Secretary of State for Defence.
The names provided in the sections below are those who have served in a position equivalent to the Secretary of State for Transport.
Minister of Transport (1919–1941)
Colour key (for political parties):
Conservative
Labour
National Labour
Liberal
National Liberal
Minister of (War) Transport and Minister of Civil Aviation (1941–1953)
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 in 1944 to look at peaceful ways of using aircraft 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.
Colour key (for political parties):
Conservative
Labour
National Liberal
| Minister of Transport |
Minister of Civil Aviation |
Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | The Lord Leathers (Min. of War Transport) |
— | 1 May 1941 | 8 October 1944 | Conservative | rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Winston Churchill (War Coalition) |
| The Viscount Swinton | 8 October 1944 | 26 July 1945 | Conservative | ||||
| rowspan=4 style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Alfred Barnes | The Lord Winster | 3-4 August 1945 | 4 October 1946 | Labour | rowspan=4 style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Clement Attlee |
| The Lord Nathan | 4 October 1946 | 31 May 1948 | Labour | ||||
| The Lord Pakenham | 31 May 1948 | 1 June 1951 | Labour | ||||
| The Lord Ogmore | 1 June 1951 | 26 October 1951 | Labour | ||||
| style="background-color: Template:National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)/meta/color" | | Hon. John Maclay | 31 October 1951 | 7 May 1952 | National Liberal | rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Sir Winston Churchill | |
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Alan Lennox-Boyd | 7 May 1952 | 1 October 1953 | Conservative | |||
Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation (1953–1959)
Colour key (for political parties):
Conservative
| Name | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Alan Lennox-Boyd | 1 October 1953 | 28 July 1954 | Conservative | rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Sir Winston Churchill |
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Boyd-Carpenter | 28 July 1954 | 20 December 1955 | Conservative | ||
| rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Harold Watkinson | 20 December 1955 | 14 October 1959 | Conservative | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Sir Anthony Eden |
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Harold Macmillan | |||||
Minister of Transport (1959–1970)
The Ministry was renamed back to the Ministry of Transport on 14 October 1959, when a separate Ministry of Aviation was formed.
Colour key (for political parties):
Conservative
Labour
| Name | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Ernest Marples | 14 October 1959 | 16 October 1964 | Conservative | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Harold Macmillan |
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Sir Alec Douglas-Home | |||||
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Thomas Fraser | 16 October 1964 | 23 December 1965 | Labour | rowspan=4 style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Harold Wilson |
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Barbara Castle | 23 December 1965 | 6 April 1968 | Labour | ||
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Richard Marsh | 6 April 1968 | 6 October 1969 | Labour | ||
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Fred Mulley | 6 October 1969 | 19 June 1970 | Labour | ||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Peyton | 23 June 1970 | 15 October 1970 | Conservative | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Edward Heath |
Minister within the Department of the Environment (1970–1976)
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.
Colour key (for political parties):
Conservative
Labour
| Name | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Peter Walker | 15 October 1970 | 5 November 1972 | Conservative | rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Edward Heath |
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Geoffrey Rippon | 5 November 1972 | 4 March 1974 | Conservative | ||
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Anthony Crosland | 5 March 1974 | 8 April 1976 | Labour | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Harold Wilson |
The junior ministers responsible for transport within the Department for the Environment:
Minister for Transport Industries (1970–1974)
- John Peyton (Conservative, 15 October 1970 – 4 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)
The Department for Transport was recreated as a separate department by James Callaghan in 1976.
Secretary of State for Transport (1976–1979)
Colour key (for political parties):
Labour
| Name | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Bill Rodgers | 10 September 1976 | 4 May 1979 | Labour | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Callaghan |
Minister of Transport (1979–1981)
Not an official member of the cabinet.
Colour key (for political parties):
Conservative
| Name | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Norman Fowler | 11 May 1979 | 5 January 1981 | Conservative | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Margaret Thatcher |
Secretary of State for Transport (1981–1997)
Colour key (for political parties):
Conservative
| Name | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Norman Fowler | 5 January 1981 | 14 September 1981 | Conservative | rowspan=7 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Margaret Thatcher |
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | David Howell | 14 September 1981 | 11 June 1983 | Conservative | ||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Tom King | 11 June 1983 | 16 October 1983 | Conservative | ||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Hon. Nicholas Ridley | 16 October 1983 | 21 May 1986 | Conservative | ||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Moore | 21 May 1986 | 13 June 1987 | Conservative | ||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Paul Channon | 13 June 1987 | 24 July 1989 | Conservative | ||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Cecil Parkinson | 24 July 1989 | 28 November 1990 | Conservative | ||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Malcolm Rifkind | 28 November 1990 | 10 April 1992 | Conservative | rowspan=4 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Major |
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John MacGregor | 10 April 1992 | 20 July 1994 | Conservative | ||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Brian Mawhinney | 20 July 1994 | 5 July 1995 | Conservative | ||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Sir George Young, Bt | 5 July 1995 | 2 May 1997 | Conservative | ||
Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions (1997–2001)
The super-department Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions was created in 1997 for Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.
Colour key (for political parties):
Labour
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Prescott | 
|
2 May 1997 | 8 June 2001 | Labour | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Tony Blair |
From 1997 to 2001, the Ministers of State with responsibility for Transport were:
- Gavin Strang (3 May 1997 – 27 July 1998)
- John Reid (27 July 1998 – 17 May 1999)
- Helen Liddell (17 May 1999 – 29 July 1999)
- Lord Macdonald of Tradeston (29 July 1999 – 8 June 2001)
John Reid attended cabinet meetings, but was not formally a member of the cabinet whereas Gavin Strang was given a seat in the cabinet when he held the position.
Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (2001–2002)
The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions 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). Critics argued from the outset that this was a mistake and that a post of Secretary of State for Transport was needed in its own right.
Colour key (for political parties):
Labour
| Name | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Stephen Byers | 8 June 2001 | 29 May 2002 | Labour | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Tony Blair |
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.
- John Spellar (8 June 2001 – 29 May 2002)
Secretary of State for Transport (2002– )
Colour key (for political parties):
Conservative
Labour
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Alistair Darling | 
|
29 May 2002 | 5 May 2006 | Labour | rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Tony Blair |
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Douglas Alexander | 
|
5 May 2006 | 27 June 2007 | Labour | ||
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Ruth Kelly | 
|
28 June 2007 | 3 October 2008 | Labour | rowspan=3 style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Gordon Brown |
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Geoff Hoon | 
|
3 October 2008 | 5 June 2009 | Labour | ||
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | The Lord Adonis | 
|
5 June 2009 | 11 May 2010 | Labour | ||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Philip Hammond | 
|
12 May 2010[2] | 14 October 2011 | Conservative | rowspan=4 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | David Cameron (Coalition) |
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Justine Greening | 
|
14 October 2011 | 4 September 2012 | Conservative | ||
| rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Patrick McLoughlin | 
|
4 September 2012 | 14 July 2016 | Conservative | ||
| David Cameron (II) | |||||||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Chris Grayling | 
|
14 July 2016 | 24 July 2019 | Conservative | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Theresa May |
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Grant Shapps | 
|
24 July 2019 | Incumbent | Conservative | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Boris Johnson |
See also
References
- ^ "Secretary of State for Transport - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ "Out with the old cabinet, in with the new". Public Service. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
