Chris Grayling named as new Transport Secretary

Chris Grayling MP, the former leader of the House of Commons and former justice secretary, has been named as secretary of state for transport. The appointment signals the survival of the Department for Transport (DfT) after new Prime Minister Theresa May led a cabinet reshuffle so wide-ranging that it is probably better described as a government restructure on 14 July.

The story began with former Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin being made chairman of the Conservative Party. This move led to reports suggesting the DfT would be abolished along with the Department for Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The speculation pointed to the establishment of two umbrella departments for Industry and Infrastructure.

However following the appointment of Chris Grayling, it now appears that the Department for Transport (DfT) will function similarly to the way it did before. This means being responsible for road, rail and other public transport forms. To this end, DfT is currently dealing with the Volkswagen emissions scandal and overseeing the introduction of autonomous vehicles in the UK.

Later on Greg Clarke was appointed as the secretary of state for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in a move that came as a result of the dissolution of the Department for Energy and Climate Change and confirmed that earlier reports of government consolidation were at least partly true.