Transport Secretary Louise Haigh to unveil bus service ‘revolution’

Exclusive: Louise Haigh intends to be the first transport secretary to use her conference speech to focus on the unfashionable subject of buses, but for her they represent a wider message on transforming travel in the UK

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh wants a bus service revolution (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Wire)

Transport secretary Louise Haigh will portray herself as the heart and soul of the socialist agenda in Keir Starmer’s Labour government when she unveils a bus service revolution in her keynote conference speech.

Labour’s first conference less than three months after winning a massive majority in the general election has been defined by concerns from activists and unions about the potential for a new wave of austerity because of difficult finances, with a £22 billion black hole left by the Tories.

But Ms Haigh plans to give Labour members some traditional socialist red meat when she uses her speech to highlight the huge legislative agenda to renationalise and renew the UK’s creaking transport system.

She will stress the country has endured 14 years of Conservative neglect and failure when it came to public transport, and that the Labour government is ushering in a transformative agenda to get communities moving again.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh is ushering in a transport revolution (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Wire)

She has already put in place the legislation to nationalise the UK’s rail service by 2027 under Greater British Rail and on Monday she will talk about restoring bus services to public ownership with new investment.

This will include bringing back lost routes, particularly to rural communities which private companies have abandoned because they are less profitable.

Sources close to the transport secretary, who is seen as one of the few leftwing firebrands in the Cabinet, say she is proud to be the first transport secretary to make a speech on buses.

The announcement will come during a meeting with regional mayors on restoring services to public ownership outside Liverpool’s iconic Liver Building, flanked by franchised and publicly owned buses from Liverpool, London, Greater Manchester and Warrington.

Ms Haigh will be joined by Labour Mayors Steve Rotheram, Andy Burnham, Tracy Brabin, Kim McGuinness, Oliver Coppard and David Skaith to demonstrate the power of local leaders and government working hand in hand to deliver change.

With lost bus services one of the biggest complaints in the mailbags of MPs, Ms Haigh believes that focussing on a subject which does not often make headlines is an important way of proving the government wants to get on with delivery.

She will say: “I couldn’t speak to you today without talking about a passion of mine. Buses. For too long – politicians in my position have cared too little, and it’s shown.

“Buses are an engine of social justice. People on lower incomes rely on them far more than the wealthy.

“For decades private operators were allowed to pick and choose routes that put profit ahead of passengers, with no control for communities.”

Her goal is to allow councils to take back control of bus services to ensure communities are not forgotten.

She will tell delegates: “Last year I stood in front of you and promised we would bring in powers so that every area of the country could take back control of their local bus services. And we’ve done it.

“Within weeks of being elected, our Labour government has brought forward legislation to bring our buses back under public control.

“And later this year we will overturn the ideological Tory ban on public ownership of bus companies. Privatisation of our transport is not pragmatism. It doesn’t spur innovation. It hasn’t made things better. Privatisation is defeatism. And we don’t accept defeat when it comes to the lives and livelihoods of the British people.”

Ms Haigh has been at the forefront of undoing reforms which have been in place since the Margaret Thatcher government of the 1980s. But she will tell delegates she is not finished.

The Better Buses Bill is expected to be introduced by the end of the year, in a clear signal of the Labour government’s intent to fast-track these flagship reforms.

The Bill will empower local leaders to deliver wide-ranging improvements to local bus services, including removing the Conservatives’ ideological ban on the creation of new, publicly-owned bus companies.

“There is so much more work to do. We are going to transform the way we invest in infrastructure. We’ll get HS2 under control, and give people faith that Britain can build again and we’ll work across Government to deliver a 10-year infrastructure strategy which supports growth right across the country.

“The task ahead is not easy, but nothing worth doing ever is. Together we will fix the foundations of this country. Together we will deliver the change that we promised. Together we will build a better Britain. Let’s move even faster. Let’s fix things. We can do it. Together.”