Secretary of State for Transport - the last 42 years

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Norman Fowler @	5 January 1981	14 September 1981
David Howell	14 September 1981	11 June 1983
Tom King	11 June 1983	16 October 1983
Hon. Nicholas Ridley	16 October 1983	21 May 1986
John Moore	21 May 1986	13 June 1987
Paul Channon	13 June 1987	24 July 1989
Cecil Parkinson	24 July 1989	28 November 1990
Malcolm Rifkind	28 November 1990	10 April 1992
John MacGregor	11 April 1992	20 July 1994
Brian Mawhinney	20 July 1994	5 July 1995
Sir George Young	5 July 1995	2 May 1997
John Prescott *	2 May 1997	7 June 2001
Stephen Byers *	8 June 2001	28 May 2002
Alistair Darling	29 May 2002	5 May 2006
Douglas Alexander	5 May 2006	28 June 2007
Ruth Kelly	28 June 2007	5 October 2008
Geoff Hoon	5 October 2008	5 June 2009
Andrew Adonis	6 June 2009	6 May 2010
Philip Hammond	12 May 2010	14 October 2011
Justine Greening	14 October 2011	6 September 2012
Patrick McLoughlin	6 September 2012	14 July 2016
Chris Grayling	14 July 2016	24 July 2019
Grant Shapps	24 July 2019	6 September 2022
Anne-Marie Trevelyan	6 September 2022	25 October 2022
Mark Harper	25 October 2022	Incumbent

* - Brief included other elements than transport in a combined ministry.
@ - prior to this, Norman Fowler was Transport Minister - same job, no seat at Cabinet table.

25 different ministers in 42 years - to me it doesn't feel like that's a good recipe for long term guidance of public transport.

Under the Secretary of State for Transport, there have been quite a number of Rail Ministers; some of the Secretaries of State have delegated substantially to them and we have met / interacted with the rail minister. At other times the rail minister really has not been visible.   Some ministers (both SoS and Rail) have been excellent, well informed (and have gone out of their way to learn) and effective, even when presenting / explaining bad news. Others, sadly, have been the opposite.

[GBM]

With an impending election (within a year perhaps?), I would have thought any Minister would have jumped at a chance to promote the party - by coming onto this coffee shop forum with "Meet the Minister"