New transport minister imminent

[northwichcat]

According to Transport Xtra Stephen Hammond is expected to be replaced in the parliamentary re-shuffle this morning.

 

[user15681]

Hammond went last night I believe. John Hayes being tipped as replacement.

 

[davetheguard]

Hammond went last night I believe. John Hayes being tipped as replacement.

I've never heard of him.......

 

[asylumxl]

Does it actually make any difference?

 

[muddythefish]

Does it actually make any difference?

If he/she is another Marples, then yes.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I've never heard of him.......

MP for South Holland and The Deepings (Lincs) - EMT Joint Line territory including Spalding.
Briefly, I wondered if Esther McVey (West Wirral) would get it, but she didn't.
A northern MP would stand a better chance of sorting out Rail North and all that.
Stephen Hammond never gave any hint that he understood the issues.

EDIT:
Stephen Hammond's replacement is Clare Perry, MP for Devizes.

 

[TDK]

MP for South Holland and The Deepings (Lincs) - EMT Joint Line territory including Spalding.
Briefly, I wondered if Esther McVey (West Wirral) would get it, but she didn't.
A northern MP would stand a better chance of sorting out Rail North and all that.
Stephen Hammond never gave any hint that he understood the issues.

Do any MP's understand the transport issue or are they all advised by so called spin doctors who also know nothing?

 

[Emyr]

Spin doctors deal in PR.

Civil Servants give advice.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Do any MP's understand the transport issue or are they all advised by so called spin doctors who also know nothing?

Transport is a ministry that is not highly regarded by those MP's in the pecking order of steps to greater things in the Cabinet, much is this statement will be viewed as nothing short of heresy on this particular website.

 

[OwlMan]

Clare Perry is the new Undersecretary of State replacing Stephen Hammond. John Hayes in the new Minister of State (presumably replacing Baroness Kramer)

 

[ExRes]

MP for Devizes, could this signal (increased) rail investment in the West Country ?

Watch out for what you say about her though, according to her Wiki she favours internet censorship ..........

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Clare Perry is the new Undersecretary of State replacing Stephen Hammond. John Hayes in the new Minister of State (presumably replacing Baroness Kramer)

Baroness Kramer is a LibDem and I thought not moving.
Robert Goodwill is the other current Conservative Under Sec.
They may have jiggled responsibilities round again of course.
The old mug-shots are still on the DfT web site.

 

[northwichcat]

Watch out for what you say about her though, according to her Wiki she favours internet censorship ..........

Instead of "that bloody Pacer" it's now "that bloody P*****"

 

[ExRes]

Instead of "that bloody Pacer" it's now "that bloody P*****"

Absolutely, saying P**** is now a criminal act, saying 3*9 is also on the dodgy list

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The last female incumbent of the post did not stay there for very long.

 

[northwichcat]

The last female incumbent of the post did not stay there for very long.

Justine Greening was in the role now occupied by Patrick McLoughlin opposed to the one just vacated by Stephen Hammond.

 

[Olaf]

John Hayes has worked on Transport twice before: I think he was shadow transport spokesman while the reviews were going on around 2005/2006.

 

[northwichcat]

John Hayes has worked on Transport twice before: I think he was shadow transport spokesman while the reviews were going on around 2005/2006.

He's replacing Robert Goodwill who was responsible for:
* HS2 Phase One
* aviation
* strategic roads and Highways Agency
* road safety and standards
* traffic
* local roads - including maintenance
* cycling and walking
* Europe

Claire Perry will be responsible for:
* rail major projects
* rail franchising
* rail fares and ticketing
* Rail Delivery Group (RDG) reform
* rail operational issues
* maritime
* London - including Crossrail
* better regulation
* motoring agencies
* international vehicle standards
* freight and logistics
* corporate

I take it that 'London' means transport in London, rather than she's going to take control of the city and ban swearing in it.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Justine Greening was in the role now occupied by Patrick McLoughlin opposed to the one just vacated by Stephen Hammond.

Mea culpa. Still, it is a case that very few women appear to be moved to the Transport posting.

Incidentally, whilst listening to Radio 4, I still have to hear anything remotely transport-related in the post-shuffle decisions, whereas the matter of Gove leaving Education to become Chief Whip has had an inordinate amount of media time.

 

[northwichcat]

Incidentally, whilst listening to Radio 4, I still have to hear anything remotely transport-related in the post-shuffle decisions, whereas the matter of Gove leaving Education to become Chief Whip has had an inordinate amount of media time.

I think the TUC were calling for Gove to be whipped and Cameron mis-heard and thought the move would please the union.

 

[Mikey C]

Mea culpa. Still, it is a case that very few women appear to be moved to the Transport posting.

Incidentally, whilst listening to Radio 4, I still have to hear anything remotely transport-related in the post-shuffle decisions, whereas the matter of Gove leaving Education to become Chief Whip has had an inordinate amount of media time.

Transport isn't a major political issue at the moment, HS2 is generally supported by all parties, nobody (left or right) is objecting to the electrification programme, big train orders have already been placed, there is no major road building programme, the London runway has been kicked out until after the next election, while the Mayor deals with London.

 

[PhilipW]

Claire Perry is an interesting choice as a Transport Minister.
As MP for Devizes she has been very vocal in advocating the extension of the GWR suburban electrification from Newbury to Hungerford, Kintbury and Bedwyn, a distance of 14 miles. Her response to the GWR refranchising (dated just a short while back on 26th June) re-emphasised that point. She went so far as to state that it would be madness for the electrification crews to stop at Newbury in 2016 only to have to be reformed later as the wires gradually stretched to the West Country.

On her website http://www.claireperry.org.uk under 'My news' and 'previous stories' the letter is reprinted in full.

On this point I agree with her completely. So let's watch this space.

 

[Olaf]

He's replacing Robert Goodwill who was responsible for:
* HS2 Phase One
* aviation
* strategic roads and Highways Agency
* road safety and standards
* traffic
* local roads - including maintenance
* cycling and walking
* Europe

Claire Perry will be responsible for:
* rail major projects
* rail franchising
* rail fares and ticketing
* Rail Delivery Group (RDG) reform
* rail operational issues
* maritime
* London - including Crossrail
* better regulation
* motoring agencies
* international vehicle standards
* freight and logistics
* corporate

I take it that 'London' means transport in London, rather than she's going to take control of the city and ban swearing in it.

Thanks; so it is Ms Perry that has the job of closing out the issues with franchising. I'm staggered that it is taking so long to sort out.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Thanks; so it is Ms Perry that has the job of closing out the issues with franchising. I'm staggered that it is taking so long to sort out.

She'll have to pronounce on ICEC, and initiate the Northern/TPE competitions (short lists due in August) plus the devolution deal with Rail North.
Direct awards are due for South Eastern (expires October) and South Western (expires January).
She will also probably do a 5-year deal with FGW.
If these deals stick, they are more or less out of the woods until the election.

Hopefully she'll have a better public face than Stephen Hammond, who was reminiscent of Geoffrey Howe's "dead sheep".

PS The two new faces have appeared on the DfT web site, but all the others are still there...

 

[northwichcat]

According to Claire Perry's voting record in Parliament she voted strongly for increasing the rate of VAT, strongly for higher taxes on plane tickets, a mixture of for and against lower taxes on fuel for motor vehicles, strongly against increasing the tax rate applied to income over £150,000, moderately against a banker’s bonus tax, strongly against an annual tax on the value of expensive homes (popularly known as a mansion tax) and strongly against slowing the rise in rail fares

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/24915/claire_perry/devizes/votes

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

John Hayes also has Cabinet responsibilities and is a Rt Hon.
He is clearly now No 2 at the DfT.
The pecking order seems to be McLoughlin-Hayes-Kramer-Perry.

 

[jon0844]

Mea culpa. Still, it is a case that very few women appear to be moved to the Transport posting.

Incidentally, whilst listening to Radio 4, I still have to hear anything remotely transport-related in the post-shuffle decisions, whereas the matter of Gove leaving Education to become Chief Whip has had an inordinate amount of media time.

The BBC has had Gove at the top of the BBC News site pretty much all day. People on social media seem to be rejoicing as if he was related to Hitler (sorry Godwin's Law).

What I don't understand is why there was so much hatred for him, when he's far more down to earth than the other Tories. Not only that, but a lot of what he said was right.

 

[DarloRich]

What I don't understand is why there was so much hatred for him, when he's far more down to earth than the other Tories. Not only that, but a lot of what he said was right.

That is debatable. A man committed to moving education back to the 1950's is an alternative view point!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

According to Claire Perry's voting record in Parliament she voted strongly for increasing the rate of VAT, strongly for higher taxes on plane tickets, a mixture of for and against lower taxes on fuel for motor vehicles, strongly against increasing the tax rate applied to income over £150,000, moderately against a banker’s bonus tax, strongly against an annual tax on the value of expensive homes (popularly known as a mansion tax) and strongly against slowing the rise in rail fares

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/24915/claire_perry/devizes/votes

Hopefully one of her first tasks will be to ensure that a good level of Geography is an essential part of knowledge for those employed at the DfT(refer to the other thread regarding this matter) and the appointment of a "Pacerfinder General" to seek out and destroy these items that pretend to be normal rail units.

 

[Railsigns]

What I don't understand is why there was so much hatred for him [Gove], when he's far more down to earth than the other Tories.
Not only that, but a lot of what he said was right.

I disliked him because a lot of what he said was right-wing.