Swindon South MP Heidi Alexander has been promoted to the cabinet by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Elected in July, Ms Alexander has been a minister of state in the Ministry of Justice until now – but she is now the Secretary of State for Transport.

It’s a topic Ms Alexander has dealt with before – after resigning as an MP for the London constituency of Lewisham East in 2018 she worked for the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan as a deputy mayor with responsibility for transport.

Ms Alexander’s promotion follows the sudden resignation of the previous Transport Secretary Louise Haigh.

Ms Haigh stepped down the day after it emerged she had a conviction for fraud by false representation in 2013 which is now spent.

She had been mugged and reported that her work phone had been stolen among her personal belongings.

She later found the work phone which led to her being charged and to her guilty plea, for which she received a conditional discharge in court, which meant she was freed without punishment providing she didn't offend again. 

She said it was “an honest mistake” and that she did not gain from it.

It was only yesterday that Ms Haigh set out a new ‘people first’ vision for  integrated transport across England.

Ms Alexander has been contacted for comment.

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