LORD Adonis has been appointed the new Rail Minister in Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s reshuffle, following the sacking of Tom Harris.
 
The Department for Transport confirmed that he will have responsibility for rail, but as he is a member of the House of Lords, junior transport minister Paul Clark will answer Commons questions on his behalf.
 
Andrew Adonis has spent the past three years as a junior education minister, was closely involved in the academies programme, and has been seen as a key mover in the Government’s reform agenda.
 
When news broke that he had been moved, Conservative education spokesman Michael Gove claimed Children’s Secretary Ed Balls had “kicked him out” of the department, and that Lord Adonis was the victim of “factional infighting”.
 
However, the move to transport is in fact a promotion, as he has gone from a junior minister to a Minister of State – and it also means that the railways are being looked after by a more senior figure, as Mr Harris was a junior minister.
 
Lord Adonis will also have a specific responsibility for Crossrail, which is sure to prove a more challenging project in a credit crunch than had been foreseen, as well as being in charge of environment and climate change issues, and cleaner fuels and vehicles.
 
The former journalist and academic worked closely with former Prime Minister Tony Blair between 1998 and 2005, on education and public services, and headed the No 10 Policy Unit before becoming a minister.
 
Rejecting Mr Gove’s claims, Lord Adonis said: "I told the Prime Minister in the summer that I felt it was time for me to take on a new challenge, and I am delighted to be given this great opportunity as Minister of State for transport.”
 
Mr Clark will have responsibility for light rail, local authority transport and issues such as buses and walking, and was previously Parliamentary Private Secretary to Mr Balls.
 
He has been Gillingham and Rainham MP since 1997, and said: “I am absolutely delighted to be asked by the PM to be a Minister for Transport.

“I have always said it is great honour to be elected as a Member of Parliament, doubly so to represent my home town.

“But now being asked to be a minister in such an important aspect of all our lives – whether it is as a rail commuter, driving on our road network, navigating our coasts and waterways, utilising cycle paths, bus routes or footpaths – I am extremely privileged to have this opportunity.”

“I will be doing all that I can to help deliver reliable and efficient transport networks, supporting economic growth, our communities, contributing to tackling climate change and enhancing opportunities for all sections of our society”.

Mr Harris, the Glasgow South MP, was regarded highly by many in the rail industry, and there is speculation he paid the price for indiscreet comments on his blog, especially one about the credit crunch which hit the headlines back in June.
 
He said he was told the news by the PM in a phone call to his Glasgow home.
"Obviously I'm disappointed; I really enjoyed being a minister, particularly in the Department for Transport,” Mr Harris said.

"But I was always realistic - ministerial jobs come and go, but the role of an MP is more important than any other. And of course I will continue to support the Government from the back benches."

As Downing Street had previously confirmed, Geoff Hoon is the new Transport Secretary, following the decision of Ruth Kelly to leave the Government.