Grant Shapps remains as transport secretary amid the cabinet reshuffle, despite widespread criticism about his performance from the travel and aviation sectors.
The Welwyn Hatfield MP retained his cabinet position following prime minister Boris Johnson’s major ministerial reshuffle this week.
He took on the role in July 2019 and has overseen travel restrictions and policies which have been slated for confusing consumers and stifling the sector’s recovery.
Shapps tweeted: “Delighted to be reappointed by Boris Johnson as Transport Secretary. Transport is central to this Conservative Government’s levelling up agenda and I’m looking forward to working with @transportgovuk to see this mission through.”
However, comments in reply to his tweet were overwhelmingly critical of his policies and urged him to sort out the traffic light system, testing for travellers and take destinations such as Turkey and the Maldives off the red list.
The pilots’ union Balpa responded on Twitter, saying: “The PM has demonstrated faith in @GrantShapps who has acknowledged the central role of transport in the Gov. agenda. But support for aviation is still lacking. We reiterate our offer to meet & work with him to restore our membership’s faith in him to match that of his boss.”
In July, Shapps visited Off Broadway Travel in his constituency after criticism of his comments suggest travel agents were a thing of the past.
Elsewhere, Liz Truss replaced Dominic Raab as foreign secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which oversees the travel advisories for British citizens.
Nadine Dorries replaced Oliver Dowden as secretary of state for culture, media and sport, in charge of the department that covers the role of tourism minister, currently held by Nigel Huddleston.
Rishi Sunak remains chancellor, with oversight of issues such as the furlough scheme and financial support amid the pandemic.
Priti Patel remains home secretary at the Home Office, which is responsible for immigration and passports, as well as policies relating to crime, fire, counter-terrorism and police.
More: Off Broadway Travel highlights financial and traffic light issues with Shapps