Heidi Alexander

The Right Honourable
Heidi Alexander
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Secretary of State for Transport
Incumbent
Assumed office
29 November 2024
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Preceded byLouise Haigh
Minister of State for Courts and Legal Services
In office
8 July 2024 – 29 November 2024
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Preceded byMike Freer[a]
Succeeded bySarah Sackman
Member of Parliament
for Swindon South
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byRobert Buckland
Majority9,606 (21.5%)
Member of Parliament
for Lewisham East
In office
6 May 2010 – 9 May 2018
Preceded byBridget Prentice
Succeeded byJanet Daby
Deputy Mayor of London for Transport
In office
21 May 2018 – 31 December 2021
MayorSadiq Khan
Preceded byVal Shawcross
Succeeded bySeb Dance
Member of Lewisham Council
for Evelyn
In office
10 June 2004 – 6 May 2010
Preceded byAlicia Chater
Personal details
Born (1975-04-17) 17 April 1975 (age 49)
Swindon, Wiltshire, England
Political partyLabour
Alma materDurham University (BA, MA)
WebsiteOfficial website

Heidi Alexander (born 17 April 1975) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Transport since November 2024.[1] She served as Minister of State for Courts and Legal Services from July 2024 until her appointment as Transport Secretary.[2] A member of the Labour Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Swindon South since 2024. In addition, she was also the MP for Lewisham East from 2010 to 2018, and served as Deputy Mayor of London for Transport from 2018 to 2021.

Early life and career

Alexander was born in Swindon, Wiltshire to Malcolm, an electrician, and Elaine Alexander (née Lanham). She was educated at Churchfields Comprehensive School and New College Sixth Form. Alexander studied at Grey College, Durham,[3][4] where she received a BA in geography and an MA in European Urban and Regional Change.[5]

Alexander had a 6-month placement in the office of Cherie Blair at 10 Downing Street in 1998.[6] She worked as a Parliamentary researcher for Lewisham MP Joan Ruddock from 1999 to 2005, and as campaigns manager for the charity Clothes Aid from 2005 to 2006.[7]

Political career

Local government

Alexander served as a member of Lewisham London Borough Council for Evelyn from a by-election in 2004 until 2010. She was Deputy Mayor of Lewisham and Cabinet Member for Regeneration from 2006 to 2010. Alexander was selected as the Labour candidate for Lewisham East in October 2009, and elected to Parliament at the 2010 general election.[8]

House of Commons

Shortly after her election to Parliament, Alexander was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Mary Creagh, then the shadow environment secretary. She became an Opposition whip in 2012,[9] and was promoted to Deputy Shadow Minister for London and senior Opposition mhip in 2013.[6] She served as a member of the Communities and Local Government Committee from 2010 to 2012 and Health Committee from 2016 to 2017.

Following Jeremy Corbyn's election as Labour leader in September 2015, Alexander joined the shadow cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Health.[10]

Heidi Alexander became the first shadow cabinet minister to resign in June 2016,[11][better source needed] calling for a new party leader after the EU referendum and dismissal of Hilary Benn.[12] In an opinion piece for The Guardian, Alexander wrote "I loved being the shadow health secretary. But I hated being part of the shadow cabinet...because it was entirely dysfunctional" and "so inept, so unprofessional, so shoddy".[13]

Deputy Mayor of London

In May 2018, Alexander resigned her seat in Parliament to become Deputy Mayor of London for Transport under Sadiq Khan.[14] She served as Deputy Chair of Transport for London in her role, and remained on the body's board until the opening of Crossrail.

During her time in the role, she was tasked with maintaining London transport during the COVID-19 pandemic and leading several rounds of government bailout negotiations.[15] She notably worked to tackle delays to the opening of Crossrail and re-opening of Hammersmith Bridge, and took up cycling to promote that method of transport. Initially planning to step down at the end of Khan's first term until the pandemic, she departed her role in 2022 to "consider her next career move".[16][15]

Return to Parliament

In June 2022, Alexander announced her intention to seek selection as the Labour candidate for Swindon South.[17] She was selected in July 2022 as prospective parliamentary candidate for the seat,[18][19] and was successful at the 2024 general election. Alexander was subsequently appointed Minister of State for Courts and Legal Services at the Ministry of Justice.[20][21]

Appointment to Cabinet

Alexander was appointed Secretary of State for Transport in November 2024, succeeding Louise Haigh.[1] She was appointed to the Privy Council, giving her the honorific title of The Right Honourable for life.[22]

Political views

Alexander supported Andy Burnham in the 2010 and 2015 Labour leadership elections,[23] and Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour leadership election.[24] She chaired Sadiq Khan's campaign for the 2016 London mayoral election.[25]

Alexander opposed the triggering of Article 50 following the EU referendum, proposing a "reasoned amendment" in January 2017 to throw out the article.[26] She co-founded the Labour Campaign for the Single Market in 2017, and is a supporter of the pro-EU group Open Britain.[27][25][28]

In November 2024, Alexander voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legalise assisted suicide.[29]

Personal life

Alexander married Martin Ballantyne in 2011.[30][31]

References

  1. ^ a b "Heidi Alexander named new transport secretary after Louise Haigh's resignation over mobile phone guilty plea". Sky News. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Minister of State – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Alexander, Heidi, (born 17 April 1975), MP (Lab) Lewisham East, since 2010". Who's Who. 2010. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.251450.
  5. ^ "Heidi Alexander". THE HONEYBALL BUZZ. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Heidi Alexander CV – London Assembly" (PDF).
  7. ^ "Heidi Alexander". politics.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 October 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  8. ^ "Labour MPS | Heidi Alexander, Labour MP for Lewisham East | the Labour Party". Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  9. ^ "Heidi Alexander". Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  10. ^ Morris, Nigel (13 September 2015). "Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet: The appointments so far". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  11. ^ Alexander, Heidi [@heidi_mp] (26 June 2016). "It is with a heavy heart that I have this morning resigned from the Shadow Cabinet" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ "Who's staying and who's going in the shadow cabinet?". BBC News. 27 June 2016. Archived from the original on 27 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  13. ^ Alexander, Heidi (19 August 2016). "Why I had to leave Corbyn's dysfunctional shadow cabinet". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  14. ^ Elgot, Jessica (8 May 2018). "Heidi Alexander quits as Labour MP to be London deputy mayor". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  15. ^ a b Lydall, Ross (20 December 2021). "Blow for Sadiq Khan as main transport aide quits City Hall". Evening Standard. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  16. ^ "Ex-MEP Seb Dance to replace Heidi Alexander as deputy mayor". BBC News. 20 December 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  17. ^ "At least two candidates step up for South Swindon Labour". Swindon Advertiser. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  18. ^ Simpson, Jack (23 July 2022). "Labour announce candidate they hope will kick Robert Buckland out of his seat at next election". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  19. ^ McGrath, Dominic (23 July 2022). "Former top Labour MP in bid to return to the Commons". The Independent. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  20. ^ "Minister of State – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  21. ^ @MoJGovUK (26 July 2024). "Meet the full ministerial team at the Ministry of Justice!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ "Orders for 4 December 2024" (PDF). Privy Council Office.
  23. ^ "Andy Burnham". labour.org.uk. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013.
  24. ^ "Full list of MPs and MEPs backing challenger Owen Smith". LabourList. 21 July 2016. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  25. ^ a b Elgot, Jessica; Stewart, Heather (25 April 2018). "Heidi Alexander thought to be considering role at London City Hall". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  26. ^ Walker, Peter (28 January 2017). "Labour MPs put forward Commons motion to throw out article 50 bill". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 January 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  27. ^ Alexander, Heidi (23 June 2017). "Heidi Alexander: the public want to see a deal where jobs are put first". Open Britain. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  28. ^ Stewart, Heather (8 February 2018). "Pro-EU Labour MPs urge NEC to consult members on Brexit". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  29. ^ "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  30. ^ Bell, Jos (17 September 2015). "Jeremy Hunt faces a formidable opponent in new shadow Health Secretary Heidi Alexander". openDemocracy. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  31. ^ Thomas, Aled (5 July 2024). "'Swindon girl' and new MP Heidi Alexander has ambitions for town". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  1. ^ As Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heidi Alexander.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Lewisham East
2010–2018 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Swindon South
2024–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Shadow Secretary of State for Health
2015–2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary of State for Transport
2024–present 		Incumbent