Government reshuffle sees new minister for transport decarbonisation appointed

Thu 18 September 2025 View all news

In wide ranging changes to the Government's ministerial line-up, the Prime Minister has appointed Selby MP Keir Mather as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Transport (DfT) with responsibility for decarbonisation and electric vehicles.

Keir Mather became Labour’s MP for Selby and Ainsty in a by-election in 2023; at 25 he was the youngest MP at the time. Now, at 27, he becomes the youngest British Government minister since Gladstone.

Lilian Greenwood MP who formerly held the transport decarbonisation brief continues as Parliamentary Under-Secretary in DfT, but with a changed brief, and as Government Whip. She is now responsible for areas including: local transport, active travel, taxis and private hire vehicles and road safety.

Simon Lightwood MP (a speaker at the 2024 Zemo Annual Conference) retains the brief for roads and buses as well as micromobility and automated vehicles amongst other responsibilities.

While Ed Miliband remains Secretary of State, the ministerial team beneath him has been almost entirely rebuilt.

Key appointments include:

  • Michael Shanks MP, promoted to Minister of State within DESNZ, strengthening the senior bench.

  • Lord Patrick Vallance, already serving in science and technology, picked up a DESNZ ministerial role in the House of Lords—a signal of tighter integration between innovation/digital and energy policy.

  • Katie White MP was named Parliamentary Under-Secretary, expected to take on much of the climate/strategy brief.

  • Chris McDonald MP was appointed as a joint Parliamentary Under-Secretary across DESNZ and Business & Trade, tasked likely with the industrial energy transition.

  • Martin McCluskey MP, with a strong Scottish background, was appointed to handle elements tied to energy bills, the North Sea transition, and consumer concerns.

According to Business Green, the Government has “shaken up ministerial ranks at DESNZ and Defra” in a bid to align the net zero and nature agendas more closely.

In other changes which may impact on the net zero agenda, Emma Reynolds MP has been appointed as the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and Peter Kyle MP is the new Secretary of State for Business and Trade inheriting parts of the industrial decarbonisation and trade-technology nexus.

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