Heidi Alexander
Heidi Alexander is the UK's Transport Secretary.
Notable Quotes
"My aspiration is to get us back down to a point where when someone is booking a test, they're not having to wait months on end to get one, which is the situation for some people in some locations at the moment."View Story →
"This is a signal of the importance the government places on the need for expansion and will be an important additional factor in the planning balance."View Story →
"the scheme as 'an appalling mess'"View Story →
"It's right we keep targets under review to ensure they're practical and back British industry."View Story →
"I was concerned to hear about a power outage."View Story →
"We are setting up Great British Railways and nationalising services, including CrossCountry next year, to end decades of fragmentation and vulnerability on our network."View Story →
"We'll start getting rid of the dreaded 'ironing board seats' so passengers can enjoy comfier, more pleasant journeys on some of Britain's busiest commuter routes."View Story →
"It will take time to fully resume flights, so continue to check with airlines."View Story →
"I do not believe this issue was unavoidable."View Story →
"Victims of rape are not going to be rushing to book tickets with him, let's be honest."View Story →
""completely unacceptable""View Story →
"the situation was deeply frustrating for passengers"View Story →
"Renationalising train services would not necessarily result in lower fares."View Story →
Related Stories
Airlines criticise air traffic control as second glitch causes more disruption in UK
Airlines are angry about the delays, with EasyJet saying the latest incident "once again calls into question the resilience" of the system.
September 21, 2026Repeated air traffic control failures leave us in worrying territory
The question is whether all of these incidents were isolated and unavoidable, or whether they point to something more systemic.
September 21, 2026Flight chaos caused by software defect in the 'space of a millisecond', report says
The failure led to more than 2,000 flights being cancelled and hundreds of thousands of passengers affected.
September 18, 2026Ryanair boss O'Leary defends 'high-fare rapists' airlines remarks
O'Leary has said airline passengers "can't afford to fly with the high-fare rapists around Europe".
September 11, 2026Air traffic failure was avoidable, says transport secretary
Heidi Alexander orders an investigation into the glitch that caused more than 2,000 flight cancellations.
September 9, 2026Learner drivers still forced to wait months to book tests
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency had been given a target to reduce average wait times to seven weeks.
September 9, 2026Heathrow and Gatwick among airports hit by air traffic control problems
Departures from a number of airports have been affected by a technical problem affecting air traffic control provider Nats.
September 8, 2026Heathrow expansion an 'outdated' risk, mayor says
Sir Sadiq Khan is repeating his opposition to a third runway in response to a government consultation.
September 3, 2026'Ironing board' seats to be replaced on Thameslink
Greater Thameslink Railway says these upgrades are part of the wider renationalisation plans.
August 26, 2026CrossCountry train services resume after outage
It follows major national rail disruption at the weekend.
August 24, 2026CrossCountry cancels 'almost all' UK services after power cut
Customers say the disruption to virtually all UK CrossCountry services is the "worst case scenario".
August 23, 2026Electric vehicle sales targets could be cut after pressure from car makers
The government says it is considering cutting the new electric car sales target from 80% to 50% by 2030.
August 14, 2026Campaigners denied appeal over Gatwick expansion
An application to stop the two-runway operation is rejected, with judges calling it "unarguable".
August 4, 2026Port of Dover works to avoid summer travel chaos
It is hoped the long queues and delays seen over the May bank holiday will not be repeated.
July 14, 2026UK-Switzerland deal to scrap roaming charges and allow Britons to use e-gates
The UK signs a new services deal with Switzerland it says will increase exports by £5.2bn annually "in the long run".
July 13, 2026Train passed red signal before fatal crash - report
A preliminary report from the Independent Rail Accident Investigation Branch is published.
June 24, 2026Campaigners consider appeal after Gatwick bids fail
A High Court ruling backs Gatwick Airport's expansion after campaigners raise climate concerns.
June 23, 2026Heathrow's 'critical' expansion blueprint released
A consultation is launched on the Heathrow expansion, outlining conditions for the project to go ahead.
June 18, 2026Driving test wait time target will not be met until autumn next year
The Transport Secretary had been aiming to reduce the backlog to seven weeks by this autumn.
June 17, 2026Major train operator to be renationalised in months
GWR, which runs trains between London and South Wales, will come under government control.
May 8, 2026HS2 trains could run slower than planned to save money
The government is looking at ways to make much-delayed London to Birmingham railway line cheaper to deliver.
March 23, 2026