Grant Shapps appointed Transport Secretary

Grant Shapps has been appointed as secretary of state for Transport in a new cabinet led by Boris Johnson.

His appointment follows the sacking of Chris Grayling, who held the role between 2016 and 2019.

Shapps has strong support for infrastructure projects, of all kinds. He chairs the British Infrastructure Group (BIG) of MPs – which mostly advocates for aviation and high-speed internet.

BIG has previously published a report stating that councils are "spending large sums of money installing and maintaining traffic equipment, like traffic lights and instructional signs, that are too often unnecessary and exacerbating congestion."

The We're Jammin' report, published by Shapps in 2016, said: "Removing many of these controls, particularly traffic lights, would go a long way to making road travel more efficient and better for the economy and saving individual motorists money."

HS2 will be a big part of the new transport secretary’s responsibilities. His support for the new railway has been muted but he’s voted for it every step of the way. Alongside HS2 supporter Sajid Javid as chancellor, the prospects for the project actually look promising.

Grant was appointed Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party in 2005, before being made Shadow Housing Minister in June 2007.

Following the 2010 election, he served as Minister of State for Housing and Local Government in the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Grant was appointed to the Privy Council in June 2010. In September 2012 he was appointed as co-chairman to the Conservative Party. At the same time he held the position of Minister without Portfolio at the Cabinet Office.