Heidi Alexander MP has been appointed Secretary of State for Transport, bringing transportation experience to the role after serving as the deputy transport mayor under Sadiq Khan between 2018 and 2021. She was elected as the Member of Parliament for Swindon South in July 2024, and prior to her current appointment, she served as the Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice from 8 July 2024 to 29 November 2024.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) warmly welcomed her appointment. Richard Smith, the RHA’s Managing Director, said,
“We look forward to working closely with her on the important issues facing our critical industry.” He emphasised that heavy goods vehicles, vans, and coaches are pivotal to the supply chain and crucial to the government’s economic growth objectives.
Logistics UK, a prominent business group, has been more pointed in its expectations. Chief Executive David Wells argued that the new Transport Secretary must “seize the opportunity to drive Labour’s growth mission by prioritising logistics and acknowledging its foundational role in the economy.” Wells highlighted that the logistics sector contributes £185 billion annually and employs 8% of the UK workforce.
The organisation raised concerns about the sector’s declining performance, noting that the UK has fallen from 4th to 19th place in the World Bank Logistics Productivity Index over the past decade.
“Congestion and delays, friction at our borders, and a lack of public investment over time is making UK logistics less efficient,” Wells explained.
Moreover, Logistics UK criticised the previous approach to transport strategy, suggesting that the recently launched Integrated National Transport Strategy was not truly integrated as it overlooked the critical role of logistics. The organisation is now pressing for a comprehensive 30-year infrastructure strategy that would “turbocharge growth across the whole economy.”
The RHA echoed these sentiments, with Smith expressing enthusiasm for working collaboratively with Alexander “on solutions to improve roads, infrastructure and driver facilities” while progressing the decarbonisation agenda.
Photo credits @ Laurie Noble – CC BY 3.0,