Public Affairs monitoring for week ending 2 April 2026

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Middle East conflict update: PM meets business representatives while Foreign Secretary hosts Strait of Hormuz summit; Logistics UK seeks industry insights

Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with business representatives from the energy sector, shipping lines and banks on 30 March to discuss how to protect the country from rising energy and petrol prices resulting from the conflict in the Middle East.

In a press conference on the crisis on 1 April, the Prime Minister said the UK is pushing for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and is working with 35 nations to restore maritime security, ensure the safe passage of trapped ships, and resume the movement of vital commodities. He also acknowledged rising pressure on fuel prices at home, noting that energy bills and petrol costs are already being affected, and stressed that securing stable energy supplies and shipping routes is essential for the UK’s economic resilience.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper assembled representatives from more than 40 countries on 2 April for online talks on how, through diplomacy, to reopen the Strait. Downing Street has not released a full list of attendees, but the US was not expected to participate.

To support our work in this area, please share your insights on how the conflict is affecting logistics operations and how government should support the sector. Gathering these insights is part of our three-point strategy for supporting members during this conflict:

Sharing with members what we are hearing from government and others. This is supported by weekly calls we have established with government officials and the leaders of other trade associations in the logistics sector, as well as regular engagement with the CBI and others.
Informing government and other key stakeholders of the impact of the conflict on our sector, including ensuring the critical nature of logistics is understood and reflected in policy development and contingency planning.
Urging government to provide support to our sector to manage the crisis, to protect logistics resilience and prevent further inflationary pressure on the wider economy at a time when the global economy is so disrupted.

Integrated National Transport Strategy published

The government published its Integrated National Transport Strategy on 2 April, setting out its vision for domestic transport in England. While it focuses on public transport integration, it also reiterates the government’s commitment to publish a new plan for freight later this year. It states that Great British Railways will support rail freight growth, including by investing in freight interchanges and network upgrades, and calls for innovative last-mile freight delivery solutions to be deployed, such as cargo bikes and local cargo hubs.

Logistics UK is urging government to prioritise delivery of the promised freight plan at pace and with clear milestones. We have consistently called for recognition of the interdependent nature of the UK’s freight and transport networks and warned of the risk of not embedding freight within the overall transport strategy.

NISTA cuts major projects portfolio from 200 to 80

The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority announced on 31 March an overhaul of the government’s major projects portfolio (GMPP), cutting the number of projects from over 200 to 80. The GMPP is a set of the most complex, high-risk and strategically significant projects and programmes across government, and there had previously been criticism that the original portfolio was too large and unfocused.

Key schemes for the logistics sector remain within the updated pipeline, including the Lower Thames Crossing, Heathrow Expansion Programme, A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project, and the Rail Sector Transformation Programme. A full, updated list of projects in the GMPP can be found here.

From 1 April, to be included in the GMPP, projects must meet the criteria set out in the Treasury Approval Process guidance and must also meet all of the following requirements: support a top government priority; have whole-life costs of more than £1 billion; and be a project that would benefit most from focused central support and scrutiny.

To underpin the new pipeline, NISTA has also introduced an official definition of a “mega project”: one with “transformational impacts on the economy, society or national security, with whole-life costs above £10 billion, which typically will take more than 10 years to deliver”.

Also this week

Government

In conjunction with GXO and Generation Logistics, the Department for Transport published , on 30 March, a guide explaining how logistics employers should design and deliver work experience opportunities that support young people and strengthen future talent pipelines.

Parliament

Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Richard Holden tabled a written question asking the Secretary of State for Transport whether there are plans to reopen or replace the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator programme for new applicants in 2026.
- Responding on 30 March, Transport Minister Keir Mather said the government is not planning to do this, and referenced the recent announcement of £1 billion in funding to support the rollout of zero emission HGVs up to 2030, including the Zero Emission Truck and Van grants and the Depot Charging Scheme.
Jonathan Brash MP (Labour, Hartlepool) tabled a written question asking the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with the sector on the safety of drivers using overnight facilities. He also asked whether there are plans to publish a long-term strategy for improving driver welfare facilities.
- Responding on 30 March, Minister Keir Mather said ministers and officials regularly meet logistics and haulage representatives to discuss sector priorities, including driver safety and overnight facilities. Recent engagement includes the Freight Council on 11 February, and a freight roundtable on 25 February with the Minister for Policing and Crime.
- In a response to Brash’s second question on 31, Keir Mather said the government has no plans for a driver facilities strategy but is updating its evidence through a new national lorry‑parking survey due in the autumn. He also referenced the HGV Parking Matched Funding Scheme and the government’s planning reforms.
The Conservatives announced on 1 April that the party would, in government, introduce a single platform to report potholes as part of plans to tackle the repair backlog on Britain’s roads. The proposed measures, which would include supplying road-repair machines to councils, would cost £112 million and be funded by cuts to the government’s communications contracts with external consultants.

Local, regional & devolved

The Greater London Authority (GLA) has said the hours of the London Lorry Control Scheme should be reduced to enable more off-peak and overnight movements, backing calls for the scheme to be reformed from Logistics UK. The GLA published its London Logistics Plan update paper on 27 March, in which it highlights the need to retime and reduce commercial vehicle movements, noting that restrictions on off-peak and night-time deliveries remain a major barrier. Logistics UK will continue providing evidence to support the GLA’s engagement with London Councils on amending the scheme’s hours of control.
Deputy Director of Public Affairs Ben Garratt participated in a roundtable with the leader of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth, on 2 April and asked whether his party would take forward the recently published Welsh Logistics and Maritime Plan. In response, Rhun spoke positively about the sector and said that, while he had not specifically considered a logistics plan, Plaid Cymru intends to develop a Welsh Connectivity Plan. He acknowledged the need to improve the M4 but noted the significant fiscal constraints, and agreed that planning reform is necessary, but that it would need to be delivered without requiring substantial additional civil service or planning officer capacity.

Coming up