FOREST of Dean MP Mark Harper has been appointed Secretary of State for Transport by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The MP’s appointment was announced yesterday evening (Tuesday, October 25), as Mr Sunak assembled his cabinet hours after officially taking office as Prime Minister.

Former Conservative Chief Whip Mr Harper was a strong backer of the former Chancellor in the race to succeed Boris Johnson as Conservative party leader and PM this summer.

Following Liz Truss’ resignation last week he resumed his advocation for Mr Sunak, who became Conservative party leader on Monday (October 24) having secured the backing of 202 MPs.

And Mr Harper has now been rewarded for his support with a high-profile cabinet position.

He replaces Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who was appointed by Liz Truss last month.

New Business Secretary Grant Shapps previously held the role under Boris Johnson.

He posted on Twitter following his appointment: “Delighted to be appointed Secretary of State for Transport by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

“Transport affects us all, and I can’t wait to tackle the challenges we face so we can deliver for communities across our United Kingdom.”

Some users replied to the Tweet to highlight transport issues in his own constituency, with six Forest of Dean bus services set to be withdrawn by Stagecoach West in November.

One person commented: “How about you start with your constituency - buses being cut left right and centre and a super poor train service!”

Another said: “I think your first step is to look closer to home and understand in the Forest we have virtually no public transport, after most of it has been cut.”

Harper, who was first elected MP for the Forest of Dean in 2005, held a number of ministerial positions under former PM David Cameron.

He was forced to resign as Minister for Immigration in 2014 after learning a cleaner in his employment didn’t have permission to work in the UK.

He was later appointed Chief Whip in 2015 before being sacked by Theresa May when she became PM less than a year later.

Over the last two years, the MP has been a fierce critic of Boris Johnson’s leadership from the back benches, including the ‘party gate’ scandal, controversial reforms to the Health and Care Bill and his attempt to block the suspension of former MP Owen Patterson for breaching parliamentary standards.

He also chaired the COVID Recovery Group of Tory MPs who opposed the government’s second round of lockdown measures in November 2020.