Government reshuffle

[philjo]

Justine Greening is appointed as the new International Development Secretary.
Patrick McLoughlin, former Chief Whip, will replace Justine Greening as Transport Secretary.

Former transport minister Theresa Villiers to be the new Northern Ireland Secretary.


So 2 new ministers in transport so far. Other junior minister appointments not yet announced.

 

[northwichcat]

Looking at Patrick McLoughlin I don't think he'd be in favour of 3+2 seating on trains!

 

[WatcherZero]

Theres already a thread, got moved to General Discussion.

 

[harri2626]

I wonder what the departure of Justine will have on HS2. She seemed a keen and articulate advocate for it. However, maybe she was moved because she continually referred to HS2 as "Haitch S 2"!

 

[ainsworth74]

However, maybe she was moved because she continually referred to HS2 as "Haitch S 2"!

More likely it was her lack of support for Heathrow's 3rd runway Actually I'm rather impressed with her, she clearly stuck to her guns on the issue even though it probably cost her the DfT.

 

[northwichcat]

I wonder what the departure of Justine will have on HS2. She seemed a keen and articulate advocate for it. However, maybe she was moved because she continually referred to HS2 as "Haitch S 2"!

Boris Johnson has lambasted the decision to move her and said it was probably because she is anti-Heathrow Runway 3.

 

[WatcherZero]

Its been suggested that Cameron maliciously moved her to International Development Secretary.... She will be forced to fly out of Heathrow on a monthly basis.

 

[Rail.co]

From Rail.co

Will rail miss Greening?

David Cameron’s reshuffle has removed the two senior ministers at the Department for Transport. Theresa Villiers goes off to Northern Ireland – a completely new portfolio for her. Everyone should wish her well. Writes industry commentator

Meanwhile Justine Greening gives up the Secretary of State for Transport job to be International Development Secretary. Much is being made of the Heathrow Airport question, with London mayor Boris Johnson sounding off about that.

But will the rail industry miss Justine Greening?

Industry insiders say not. Justine Greening seemed to view railways as trains filled with voters. So she was always happy to be seen doing things at stations, where passengers would notice her and, perhaps, vote for her.

But the rail industry, that employs 200,000 people and is worth billions of pounds a year, didn’t interest her. The shiny trains full of voters did, but the dirty tracks and bridges and engineering didn’t. She would go to events organised by enthusiasts, but not ones organised by engineers.

The HLOS – the Government’s statement of funds that will be spent on the railway – was launched at a train depot. Greening didn’t go – she let Cameron and Clegg do it.

So the industry didn’t take to her, just as she hadn’t taken to them.

So no – Greening won’t be missed. Can the new bloke start tomorrow?

Was Greening too focused on rail passengers and not enough on the rail industry?

 

[SwindonPkwy]

Its been suggested that Cameron maliciously moved her to International Development Secretary.... She will be forced to fly out of Heathrow on a monthly basis.

There could be a lot of truth in this statement. It will be interesting to see her movements.

 

[Capybara]

More likely it was her lack of support for Heathrow's 3rd runway Actually I'm rather impressed with her, she clearly stuck to her guns on the issue even though it probably cost her the DfT.

I wonder if she would have stuck to her guns quite so steadfastly if she was the member for Huntingdon.

 

[Morden Via CHX]

Looking at Patrick McLoughlin I don't think he'd be in favour of 3+2 seating on trains!

LOL, my thoughts exactly

 

[eastdyke]

I wonder what The Rt. Hon. Patrick McLoughlin MP is in favour of Transport wise?

Looking at his constituency (Derbyshire Dales) perhaps a lobby for re-opening of The Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway as part of the HS2 northern extension would get him going?

 

[Tomonthetrain]

I wonder what The Rt. Hon. Patrick McLoughlin MP is in favour of Transport wise?

Looking at his constituency (Derbyshire Dales) perhaps a lobby for re-opening of The Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway as part of the HS2 northern extension would get him going?

Or even as non high speed

 

[Morgsie]

Villiers is promoted to Northern Ireland Secretary

 

[eastdyke]

I understand that Simon Burns is the new Minister of State at Transport.

Expect imminent announcement of quad tracks on GEML, at least as far as Chelmsford.

 

[trickyvegas]

I think there is a definite business case for HS2 linking Buxton & Matlock.

 

[philjo]

I wonder what The Rt. Hon. Patrick McLoughlin MP is in favour of Transport wise?

Looking at his constituency (Derbyshire Dales) perhaps a lobby for re-opening of The Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway as part of the HS2 northern extension would get him going?

He was born in Stafford & comes from that area so he should be familiar with WCML & also MML.

An announcement before the next election giving approval for wiring to Matlock as add-on to the MML scheme would be more likely now !

 

[WatcherZero]

In 2007, Burns successfully proposed to the House of Commons Administration Committee, of which he was then a member, that Members of Parliament should have "priority access" to services within the Parliamentary Estate. In practice, this meant that MPs could avoid queues for shops, restaurants, bars, computers, photocopiers and even toilets by "pushing in" ahead of visitors or staff. The so-called "queue jumping rule" provoked cross-party opposition from Commons staff and other MPs but Burns trenchantly defended the proposal.

On 3 April 2008, Burns was involved in a collision with a cyclist as he drove his 4x4 out of the Palace of Westminster into Parliament Square. The cyclist, British Army Major Stuart Lane, was thrown over the handlebars of his bicycle and broke two vertebrae in his neck "which could hinder his Army career". In February 2009 Burns pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving and was fined £400 with £200 costs at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.

Sounds like a average joe kinda guy :roll:

McCloughlin gave a speech in 1990 that the Midland Mainline should not be electrified as electrification didnt make trains go any faster and the line was too curvy and slow anyway.

 

[Wath Yard]

Was Greening too focused on rail passengers and not enough on the rail industry?

No. Except for the bit that carries freight the whole railway should be focussed on passengers. It isn't some insular boy's toy. What I found impressive about her was her first action after taking the job was to reduce the RPI+3% increase for this year to RPI+1%.

Regarding the HLOS announcement, I doubt she had much say in the matter. Cameron and Clegg used it as a good news story to reaffirm their partnership. Other big hitters, such as Cable in the East Midlands and Osbourne in the North West were also out that day spreading the good news.

As for the new bloke, seeing as he was a whip he was completely devoted to ensuring MPs followed the party line so his views on anything current will be a bit of a mystery.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

You do realise that the departure of Greening and Villiers comes at exactly the wrong (or maybe right!) time for the WCML franchise mess?
Villiers was in charge of franchising, and had a good grasp of the railway.
I'd be interested to know what McLoughlin did in his previous time in Transport (1989-92). Must have been the same time as the saintly Portillo and the work on the early Channel Tunnel links (pre-HS1).
He was so prominent I'd never heard of him...
His backround suggests he will call a spade a spade.

Simon Burns doesn't seem to have any transport involvement to date.

Must be depressing for the one surviving minister, Lib Dem Norman Baker, to have to educate two new boys, both more powerful than he is.
It will be interesting to see how they cope with the Transport Select Committee next week.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

What I found impressive about her was her first action after taking the job was to reduce the RPI+3% increase for this year to RPI+1%.

I wonder if that might have earned her a few powerful enemies within H.M. Treasury?

 

[Wath Yard]

You do realise that the departure of Greening and Villiers comes at exactly the wrong (or maybe right!) time for the WCML franchise mess?

It's in the hands of lawyers so irrelevant. Villiers and Greening will have had virtually nothing to do with the decision anyway. Civil servants will have done the number crunching.

 

[WatcherZero]

It's in the hands of lawyers so irrelevant. Villiers and Greening will have had virtually nothing to do with the decision anyway. Civil servants will have done the number crunching.

Was Osborne who leaned on her and 'reminded' her that the objective was to get the most money from franchising to reduce subsidy two weeks before the decision, so you cant say it was free from internal party politics.

 

[Wath Yard]

You keep up your little conspiracy theory if you want, but you would be better spending your time reading the franchising documents. Then you would discover the highest bidder, if deemed deliverable, which it was, wins.

 

[WatcherZero]

Was in all the papers, particularly the Times dont you remember? Or do you just not read them. It was partly what kicked off the whole debate about the award reinforced when the Guardian leaked that First had won (but then none of you believed that did you?).

May booed at Olympics today just like Osborne.

 

[jon0844]

Let's face it, every member of the coalition will be booed because people want more money, and that means they want Labour back in to start spending again.

Nobody likes cuts so the same people signing petitions are likely the ones who will invite the people back that put us where we are today. Especially as people now seem to think it was all down to the banks, and of course the Tories must love bankers and looking out for their mates so that really means all our problems are actually down to the Tories!

Come 2015 Labour will be back in power and opening up its chequebook so all will be well again... Maybe they'll kick First out and hand the WCML back to Virgin after receiving some more generous donations....

 

[WatcherZero]

Who would want to donate to the Conservative party at the moment? Their donations are down 80% since the election, their so desperate their refusing to return the Polly Peck donation they promised to return if he was convicted of fraud. Theyve actually managed to break the tradition of donors to a party rising for the first two years after they enter power which has stood since donation records began.

 

[Morgsie]

Stephen Hammond is the Minister of State @ Transport according to the BBC

 

[jon0844]

Who would want to donate to any party at the moment?

In the current climate, companies and individuals will not wish to deal with the publicity of giving money away (given those donating will be accused of doing so in return for something).

I guess it is different if it is a union giving over money, than say a company director.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Stephen Hammond is the Minister of State @ Transport according to the BBC

Yes, you are right of course he is, another one who has not moved.
There are four ministers, Patrick McLoughlin at the top and three juniors, Norman Baker, Simon Burns and Stephen Hammond.
Their pictures are now on the DfT web site.
We don't know how they will carve the portfolio up yet.
Teresa Villiers did most of rail (including franchising), Norman Baker did local transport.