Heidi Alexander has been appointed secretary of state for transport following the resignation of Louise Haigh.

Haigh resigned from her position in the cabinet at the end of last week – the day after launching the Department for Transport’s (DfT’s) 10-year Integrated National Transport Strategy.

It came as details emerged relating to her incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013.

Haigh said: “I appreciate that whatever the facts of the matter, this issue will inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this government and the policies to which we are both committed.”

New transport secretary Alexander was previously the minister of state at the Ministry of Justice from the 8 July 2024 to 29 November 2024.

She was elected as the MP for Swindon South in July 2024.

Haigh’s resignation came just a day after she outlined the government’s Integrated National Transport Strategy – a “people first approach” to getting people around the country.

The strategy will set out a clear vision for how transport across England can evolve over the next 10 years so that more places offer better, more seamless journeys door-to-door – like those facilitated by the successful Bee Network in Greater Manchester and Transport for London.