"If you could invent a role in parliament I’m interested in, this would be it – it’s a real privilege to get the chance to do it," says newly installed transport select committee chair Iain Stewart, with a smile.
It may only be a month since he took up the role, but with travel still in its post-pandemic thaw and a festive seasonal storm of rail, Border Force and ground handler strikes, Stewart’s in-tray will be bulging like Santa’s sack when MPs return to Westminster from their Christmas recess next week.
Taking over from Huw Merriman following his appointment as rail minister in October, Stewart – like his predecessor – will be looking to forge strong relationships with sector bosses and bodies as he gears up to address the challenges 2023 will inevitably pose.
“Huw is a great act to follow,” Stewart, Conservative MP for Milton Keynes South, tells TTG over Zoom from his parliamentary office in late December. “It’s important for me to have the close contacts he did, so I can develop an early warning system for where difficulties for the industry will occur.”
FORWARD-LOOKING
Stewart is keen to ensure the cross-party committee, currently comprising 11 MPs, maintains its traditional “scrutiny and accountability” remit, while also offering a more forward-looking perspective. “I’m keen we do more horizon-scanning and anticipate issues coming up so we can steer the debate,” he explains. “I want us to have a reputation for looking at all the evidence and coming up with constructive scrutiny.”
Stewart’s knowledge and appreciation of the industry is clear; he served on the committee – on and off – for six years between 2010 and 2018, and as a parliamentary private secretary to former transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin from 2013 to 2015. He has also worked as a whip within the Department for Transport, and held the transport portfolio while serving as parliamentary undersecretary of state for Scotland from 2020 to 2022.
“This is a vital sector,” says Stewart. He’s steadfast in his belief travel’s pandemic lobbying efforts have grown its standing within the corridors of power.
Of the government’s handling of travel policy during Covid, Stewart positions himself as more on the “hawkish side” of the debate in calling for a less restrictive approach. “I think, in hindsight, some of the restrictions were – for understandable reasons – overly restrictive,” he admits.
Although he also recognises embattled prime minister Boris Johnson “took a bit of a gamble” that fell in travel’s favour when he chose to fully open up international travel in March 2022.
“Had that decision not been taken, the transport sector would be in an even more difficult place,” claims Stewart. “Heaven forbid we have another pandemic in the future and we haven’t learnt the lessons.”
NEW TEAM
Fast forward nine months and after much Tory in-fighting, a new prime minister and reshuffled cabinet are in place, with Mark Harper installed as transport secretary leading a new team of ministers.
“I feel it’s a very good ministerial team,” says Stewart, who was “impressed” when Harper gave evidence to the committee in early December during a session dominated by discussion of the ongoing rail strikes. But Stewart is keen to ensure the current crisis does not take focus away from other sectors.
“Mark is going to take a little bit of time to think through his different priorities and have a balance of the different transport sectors,” Stewart cautions. “Obviously rail is incredibly important, but it can’t take up the entirety of the budget and ministerial time – and he has said the same.”
There’s another balance to be struck in terms of how ministers speak about the travel sector publicly, particularly in broadcast interviews – a perennial bugbear of agents, operators and trade associations during the pandemic. Home secretary Suella Braverman recently told Brits to “think carefully” before travelling abroad this Christmas due to strike action. So how does Stewart assess this latest outburst?
“It’s always difficult,” he says, diplomatically, pondering: “Is it worse to say what she did and tell consumers to be prepared [for potential airport disruption] rather than not saying anything and then there’s a bigger problem to resolve? Sometimes, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. I wouldn’t criticise [Braverman] for that, but I hope – like in all industrial disputes – common sense prevails.”
Loose-lipped ministers aside, the industry will face a series of challenges this year, with Stewart eager to engage the committee in the issues.
He is soon to meet with the CAA, with Atol reform “almost certain” to be on the committee’s agenda in the coming months. It has also just concluded its inquiry into sustainable fuels, with the report due to be agreed early this month and published “very soon afterwards”.
JOINED-UP THINKING
Another cause many in the trade have called for – the need for a dedicated government minister for outbound travel – may also be on the committee’s radar.
“It’s a good point and something we can look into – is there enough joined-up government?” He continues: “As long as the relevant ministers in each department are meeting regularly, you don’t necessarily need a single minister to do the job [but] it can be classic [80s political comedy] Yes Minister when you get departments working in silos. It’s certainly something I’ll keep an eye on.”
Such collaboration is something Stewart is hoping to foster during his time as chair. “I don’t like confrontational politics,” he says when asked how he’ll look to run the committee and deal with industry leaders. “You get the best out of people when they feel comfortable sharing information, and it allows you to take an objective look and make sensible recommendations.
“This is particularly true in transport, when you have so many issues and stakeholders,” he adds. “We talk about rail strikes, but if people use a train to get to an airport, then it becomes an aviation issue. It’s about being able to look at issues in the round. I want the committee to be the go-to place for transport issues and be known for tackling issues thoroughly and fairly.”
