Rachael Maskell MP - new Shadow Rail Minister

A big Railway Eye welcome to the new Shadow Rail Minister Rachael Maskell!

Ms Maskell is the Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for York Central and was first elected for the seat in 2015.

Biog details from Rachael's website:

Rachael graduated from the University of East Anglia with a degree in physiotherapy in 1994. On starting work, she rapidly became a trade union rep in the hospital, going on to becoming a Regional and then National Official for Unite, where she led many campaigns and was a strong voice in speaking out for those she represented.

On the national stage, Rachael led the union’s equality agenda, campaigning against discrimination and for equal pay. She then spent seven years representing the charity sector on improving voluntary organisations and the opportunities for those that work in the sector....

In September 2015, Rachael was appointed as a Shadow Defence Minister for Armed Forces Personnel and Veterans and served in this position for nine months before being appointed to the Shadow Cabinet as the Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2016.

Eye understands the portfolios for the rest of the Shadow Transport team are still being finalised.

Labour reshuffle - Eagle gone?

Maria Eagle has been moved from Shadow Transport brief, details of replacement to follow. #labour #reshuffle
— DeHavilland (@DeHavilland) October 7, 2013

Developing...

Shadow Cabinet Reshuffle - Transport

***Twitter suggesting Maria the Eagle to remain at Transport***

More to follow, although if it is true probably not...

Labour abandons previous transport pledges?

Like her namesake Eddie, Labour's Shadow Transport Secretary is going downhill fast!

This from Maria the Eagle, in the Evening Standard...

"The Tory-led government has delayed the completion of vital rail projects including Crossrail and Thameslink in London, cut new carriages planned by Labour and hit commuters with massive fare increases.

"At the same time they plan to only spend £750million of the £17.5billion cost of the proposed new high-speed line to Birmingham. Labour will next month launch a root and branch review of our transport policy with nothing ruled in or out.

"It would be irresponsible to make cast-iron spending commitments for beyond 2015 before we have listened to the public and come to conclusions about our future priorities."

Where is the Noble Lord when you need him?

UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic...

Could you avoid repeating Maria the Eagle's utterances on new train orders as it raises my blood pressure?

The 1300 HLOS vehicles promised in the 2007 White Paper shrank relentlessly under the last administration, to the point that the Coalition inherited live bids for only a handful of EMUs for London Midland and the putative Manchester Scotland Franchise which, come to think of it, sounds more like an Alliance Rail proposal than Government Policy.

Meanwhile 670 days and counting!

UPDATE: This from the Worlds Greatest Living Transport Correspondent...

Shameless bit of self-marketing...

I’m organising one of my Wolmar Transport Lunches on March 7th with Ms Eagle, where leading lights of the industry can try to influence her thinking!

Details from me at christian.wolmar@gmail.com

Lesser spotted Eagle threatended with extinction?

Looks like Ed Milibean is not alone in having his leadership skills questioned.

Maria the Eagle may also want to watch her back.

This from the North West Evening Mail...

A RAIL lobby group is backing Furness MP and Shadow Transport Secretary John Woodcock’s call for Barrow not to lose its direct train services to Manchester Airport.

Down boy!

Labour's new transport team is a flop - Official

This, unbelievably, from Simon Hoggart in the the Gruaniad!

Roberta (fetchingly played by Jenny Agutter in the film, and by Labour's junior transport spokesperson Maria Eagle in the modern version) would whip off her red pinny and go racing down the line to stop the 12.04 Newark to Lincoln flyer.

"Junior transport spokesperson"?

Maria is allegedly the Shadow Secretary of State.

She rose without trace.

Eye welcomes Maria the Eagle

Much excitement in Westminster this weekend following the news that Eddie the Eagle's sister has been appointed Shadow Transport Secretary.

Eddie, who was sadly unavailable for comment, said "My sister knows shedloads about transport, she even caught a bus once".

Maria Von Trapp is also famous for having a twin sister not called Maria and playing chess (according to an uncorroborated citation on Wikipedia) .

In slightly less depressing news the following also received junior shadow transport posts:

Jim Fitzpatrick MP
Andrew Gwynne MP
John Woodcock MP

Jim Fitzpatrick has some good indepth knowledge of Crossrail. Andrew Gwynne appears vaguely pro-railway and John Woodcock is MP for Furness... errr... where they once built locos and stuff a long time ago (will this do?).

Eye fears that any debate on transport cuts following the announcement of the CSR will be a pretty one-sided affair.

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

Aren't you missing something much more important about the Shadow ministerial appointments?

It seems that Tom Harris' blog has been saved for the nation!

UPDATE: Eye has been taken to task by both @BorisWatch and @TransportB...

Apparently it is official: Maria Sharapova likes chess, it says so here and here.

Perhaps more importantly, for the railway, Ms Eagle also says:

"I don't think you can do a proper operational ministerial job, which is about providing a function of the state, without going and having a proper look"

So. Farewell Lord Adonis! But your Pilgrimage of Grice lives on!

The disturbing case of the missing Shadows

Don't expect too much excitement in Parliament over the thin gruel for Transport contained in today's Programme for Government.

With the LibDems joining the Tories on the government benches it leaves only Labour MPs to hold ConDem transport ministers to account.

Fortunately Labour MPs that previously held transport portfolios moved seemlessly into Shadow roles once the new administration took office.

At least they would have moved seemlessly if there were any left.

Of Labour's four former transport ministers at the General Election one is in the Lords (Andrew Adonis), two were defenestrated by the electorate (Clark and Mole) leaving just one remaining in the Commons (Sadiq Kahn).

Having one Shadow in the Commons to face off a team of four ministers, including the Secretary of State, is less than ideal.

In the normal course of events this democratic deficit will be addressed when Labour selects its new leader at Party Conference, whereupon the division of Shadow spoils can recommence.

However, that's four months away and clearly today's Shadow Transport Light is neither good for scrutiny of the executive nor for users of Britain's transport network.

It's not even as if there is any shortage of Labour MPs who are knowledgeable or passionate about transport; why four even turned up at King's Cross yesterday to welcome an Adelante!


So quickly beefing up Labour's transport team in the Commons shouldn't be a problem.

Perhaps Ms Harman might care to address soonish?