Public Affairs monitoring for week ending 31 July 2026

Department for Transport confirms ministerial portfolios following reshuffle

The Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed ministerial responsibilities following Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s reshuffle on 29 July. Keir Mather remains Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security, and the key minister for coordinating freight and logistics matters. However, responsibility for electric vehicles and transport decarbonisation has transferred from Keir Mather to Simon Lightwood, who has been appointed Minister for Local Transport and Sustainability.

In another notable change, Justin Madders has joined the Department as Minister for Roads, taking responsibility for roads policy and the strategic road network. Meanwhile, Lord Hendy remains in post as Minister for Rail, leading on rail reform and the Railways Bill.

Logistics UK will continue engaging with ministers across the department and will seek early meetings where appropriate.

Prime Minister announces plans for technical and vocational pathways for pupils from age 14

The Prime Minister announced plans on 28 July to introduce technical and vocational pathways for pupils from age 14, allowing students to study subjects such as manufacturing and artificial intelligence alongside core academic qualifications. The reforms would require schools to adapt elements of their curriculum to local labour market needs, strengthen links with employers and provide greater support for technical qualifications.

Logistics UK Chief Executive Ben Fletcher welcomed the proposed reforms as an opportunity to tackle unemployment among young people. Ben Fletcher noted the reforms could help address skills challenges across the economy by improving awareness of career opportunities and creating clearer routes into employment. However, he stressed that for the plans to succeed, regional leaders must ensure that employers located outside major urban centres, including many of the UK’s largest logistics hubs, are fully involved in shaping local skills provision and engaging with young people.

Prime Minister to give regional mayors share of income tax and business rates

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced plans on 30 July to give mayors and strategic authorities in England a share of locally raised income tax and business rates revenue, as part of his wider devolution agenda. The reforms would allow areas to retain more of the taxes generated locally, reducing reliance on Whitehall grants and giving local leaders greater control over investment, housing, transport and skills.

Under the proposals, mayors and strategic authorities would begin retaining a proportion of business rates from April 2027, followed by a share of income tax revenues from April 2028. Details of the scheme, including the proportion of tax revenue that local areas will retain, are expected to be set out by Chancellor John Healey in the Autumn Budget.

Logistics UK hosts roundtable for the sector with Kyiv International Airport

In partnership with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (DBIST), Logistics UK convened a roundtable on 28 July bringing together representatives from Kyiv International Airport and stakeholders from across the UK aviation, cargo and logistics sectors.

The delegation from Kyiv outlined its vision for the airport’s role in supporting Ukraine’s economic recovery once hostilities end, including ambitions to develop a modern, resilient aviation hub through long-term partnerships with UK businesses. They also set out that the airport is seeking engagement with infrastructure investors, airport operators, cargo specialists and logistics businesses to support both the restoration of operations and longer-term redevelopment of the facility.

Members interested in supporting Kyiv International Airport’s recovery plans are encouraged to contact Oleh Zakorchemny, Chief Executive Officer of Kyiv International Airport, directly for further information – his email is [email protected]

New Road Maintenance Strategy published for Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure (DfI) published a new Road Maintenance Strategy on 27 July, setting out a long-term framework for the region’s road network. The strategy aims to deliver a safer, more resilient and sustainable network that supports communities, businesses and economic growth across Northern Ireland. It is built around four priorities: improving the quality and durability of repairs; targeting maintenance investment using road condition data; adopting a preventative approach to asset management; and making greater use of technology to identify defects and target interventions.

Also this week

Government

The Department for Transport announced on 29 July that the £750,000 Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund is accepting applications from organisations promoting careers in aviation and aerospace – focusing on young people from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds. Aviation Minister Keir Mather said the funding would help develop the future workforce required to support growth in the aviation sector.
Logistics UK submitted its response on 28 July to the Department for Transport’s Strategic Charging Infrastructure (SCI) Scheme consultation, arguing that electric HGV demand should be assessed separately from other electricity users to ensure the sector’s unique operational requirements are reflected in future infrastructure planning.

Devolved, regional and local

Transport Scotland launched the Skills Challenge Fund 2026/27 on 21 July , inviting applications for projects that support skills development linked to the transition to Zero Emission Heavy Duty Vehicles (ZE HDVs). An information session for prospective applicants will take place on 4 August.
The Welsh and Scottish First Ministers met on 24 July and committed to deeper intergovernmental cooperation, including joint advocacy for closer UK-EU trading relations including rejoining the single market and customs union and greater powers and funding for the devolved nations.
John Cooper MP (Conservative, Dumfries and Galloway) visited the A75 with Logistics UK Policy Lead for Scotland and Multimodal Alexandra Herdman on 24 July. They discussed the importance of the logistics sector to Scotland’s economy and the case for improvements to the A75. Herdman highlighted the strategic importance of the Cairnryan’s ferry ports with the wider UK motorway network and the benefits of upgrading the A75 to improve reliability, resilience and road safety. Discussions also covered the need for additional safe and secure roadside facilities for HGV drivers.
The Greater Manchester mayoral by-election to replace Andy Burnham took place on 30 July, with the result not expected before 2pm on 31 July at the earliest.

Other

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) has faced criticism after The Times reported on 28 July that it has repeatedly failed to submit required reports to Ofgem on electricity network risks and system resilience. The reports were introduced following the major 2019 blackout and are intended to assess the likelihood of high-impact network incidents and the costs associated with managing them.

Coming up