The Department for Transport (DfT) has its third secretary of state this year, with Mark Harper replacing Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who only came into the role in September.
Among a raft of other changes made by new prime minister Rishi Sunak, former levelling up secretary Michael Gove returned to the role, with Simon Clarke, a strong supporter of outgoing PM Liz Truss, leaving the Government.
Mr Harper was elected Conservative MP for the Forest of Dean in May 2005 and was chief whip from 2015 to 2016.
Mark Harper
He tweeted: ‘Transport affects us all, and I can’t wait to tackle the challenges we face so we can deliver for communities across our United Kingdom.’
Although Ms Trevelyan has lost her job as transport secretary, on Wednesday morning it was unclear whether she would be given a new government role.
It was also unclear whether Mr Sunak’s reshuffle would extend to junior ministers in the DfT, many of whom were only appointed by Ms Truss in September.
Only last week, Ms Trevelyan appeared before the Transport Select Committee to set out her approach to the role.
She told MPs that there will not be a full-scale transport bill in the current session of Parliament although the DfT was hoping to put forward a smaller bill.
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