New transport and culture MPs in reshuffle
Contributors are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the contributor directly
The UK has new ministers in charge of transport and culture following David Cameron’s cabinet reshuffle.
Maria Miller has now become the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport after Jeremy Hunt was moved to health. Patrick McLoughlin, previously chief whip, is now transport secretary and hence sparked talk of a renewed look at airport capacity strategy. According to Sky News, Mayor of London Boris Johnson said Justine Greening’s removal from the post showed that the government was leaning towards expanding Heathrow, while ABTA was not so upfront in what it thought the reshuffle meant.
“It is too early to read too much into a change of personnel at the top so we will wait to see what moving Justine Greening and Theresa Villiers from the DfT will mean in terms of a new approach to aviation from Government. It is essential that the Government urgently addresses key issues in aviation, particularly airport capacity and taxation,” said Luke Pollard, head of public affairs at ABTA.
“There has been much debate that the long-awaited consultation on capacity is being moved forward and this could well be Patrick McLoughlin’s first big announcement as Transport Secretary,” he added.
ABTA said it will also work with Miller to look at outbound, inbound and domestic tourism, while The Tourism Society praised previous culture secretary Jeremy Hunt and hoped Miller would build on his “extensive groundwork”.