Louise Haigh has been appointed secretary of state for transport, after serving as the shadow secretary since November 2021.
The MP for Sheffield Heeley has sat in the Commons since 2015 and held a string of shadow cabinet posts, including shadow Nothern Ireland secretary, and shadow ministerial positions for the Home Office, Cabinet Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
She will be in charge of a capital spend of £20.5bn for 2024-25 and a resource budget of £5.7bn. She is also leading one of Labour's more radical briefs, with a range of specific pledges that run further to the left of the party than PM Starmer usually steered.
The Labour manifesto promised to bring the railways into public ownership 'as contracts expire or are broken through a failure to deliver'.
The planned Great British Railways body, currently in transition form, 'will deliver a unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high-quality, and efficient services; along with ensuring safety and accessibility,' Labour said.
It also pledged to hand local mayors sweeping integrated transport powers, including new powers to deliver bus franchising and set up municipal bus companies and influence rail services in their areas.
One immediate challenge Ms Haigh faces is to restore the phase-out date of 2030 for new cars with internal combustion engines, With recent Conservative governments flip-flopping on the date, there will be some focus on whether Ms Haigh keeps to this pledge.
Ms Haigh is generally regarded as a skilful media operator and communicator and has made appearances on Question Time and Newsnight.
She is also recognisable for her distinctive look, often including dyed hair, once described as 'a colourised 1940s photo brought to life' - a description which she seemed to approve of on Twitter.
