The UK government has explicitly included logistics in a ministerial title following sustained pressure from freight and supply-chain organisations. Keir Mather will continue at the Department for Transport under the new title of Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Logistics, although the position stops short of the standalone, cross-government role sought by the industry.
Mather remains a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport. His previous title was Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation, but the government’s official ministerial register now lists him as responsible for aviation, Heathrow expansion, maritime, international transport, security and resilience, sustainable aviation fuel, and freight and borders.
Confirming the change, Mather said logistics had not always had a clearly identifiable champion within government.
“It’s a simple change, but one that shows how serious I am about putting the logistics sector at the heart of Government,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.
He also thanked Logistics UK, the Road Haulage Association and other organisations that had campaigned for logistics to be recognised explicitly at ministerial level.
More visibility, but not a standalone logistics ministry
The change gives the sector a clearly named contact within government, but it does not create a separate logistics ministry. Mather’s portfolio remains broad, covering major aviation and maritime responsibilities alongside freight.
Nor is freight entirely new to his brief. The government’s archived description of his previous role shows that freight and borders were already among his responsibilities when he was Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation.
The principal change is therefore the visibility given to logistics in the ministerial title rather than the transfer of an entirely new policy area.
Industry organisations had asked for more. Logistics UK previously called for a dedicated logistics and supply-chain minister with responsibilities spanning Whitehall, supported by a cross-government Logistics Productivity Forum.
The organisation argued in evidence submitted to Parliament that logistics policy is divided among numerous departments. While the Department for Transport oversees freight policy, decisions affecting the sector are also taken by the Treasury, HMRC, the Home Office, Defra and the departments responsible for business, energy, planning and skills.
Mather’s revised DfT role does not formally provide that wider authority, but campaigners see the inclusion of logistics in his title as an important first step.
Industry welcomes recognition of logistics
Logistics UK welcomed the change, saying it demonstrated that the government was listening to the industry and recognised the sector’s importance to economic growth.
According to the organisation, UK logistics contributes £175 billion in gross value added each year, employs 8% of the workforce and enables more than £1 trillion of international trade annually.
It also cited research by Oxford Economics estimating that improving the policy and infrastructure environment for logistics could unlock a further £8 billion in annual economic growth.
“The expansion of Mr Mather’s role now demonstrates the critical role that logistics can play in the rejuvenation of the UK’s economy,” said chief executive Ben Fletcher.
The RHA also welcomed the appointment, pointing to the campaign conducted through the Alliance of Logistics Trade Associations.
Managing director Richard Smith said a clear ministerial focus should give the sector a stronger voice in government. However, he stressed that the significance of the change would ultimately depend on what it delivers.
“Creating the role is an important step. What matters now is what we collectively achieve through it,” Smith said.
The RHA identified infrastructure investment, skills, decarbonisation, driver facilities, international trade, regulation and operators’ cost pressures as areas requiring action.
It will also continue pressing for a National Freight Plan that treats logistics as critical national infrastructure and gives businesses greater long-term certainty to invest.
The title change therefore answers one of the industry’s long-standing demands, at least symbolically. Whether it leads to more coordinated policy across government—or tangible improvements for freight operators—will be the real test of Mather’s expanded role.
