Chris Grayling (MP for Epsom & Ewell) has been appointed Secretary of State for Transport. He succeeds Patrick McLoughlin, who has been appointed Conservative Party chairman and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Grayling has been Leader of the House of Commons since the 2015 General Election. He was previously Justice Secretary from 2012-2015. Between 2005 and 2007, he served as Shadow Transport Secretary for the Conservatives, while Labour was in government.
Grayling was a vocal Leave campaigner during the EU Referendum campaign. Writing on his website following the referendum, he said: “The result of the EU Referendum is clearly a major step for our country. The next steps will need to be handled carefully and in consultation with all the different groups who will be affected by the result.
“Locally it is impossible to tell the exact result, as my constituency is spread across three boroughs and there is no separate count for it. However, the result was clearly a pretty close one here, and I do think it is very important that the views of those who voted to remain both nationally and locally are not forgotten as the Government plans the next steps.”
- For more on this story, see RAIL 806, published on August 3.
