Newly appointed Prime Minister Andy Burnham made 27 ministerial appointments yesterday (20 July), with 10 ministers leaving the government.
Here, NCE looks at the ministerial changes across the Whitehall departments responsible for infrastructure and civils planning, development and policy.
Transport
The new government’s transport policy may remain more stable than other areas after Burnham kept Heidi Alexander as secretary of state for Transport,. Her department is responsible for policy areas including HS2, Roads Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3) and Network Rail’s Control Period 7 (CP7).
Alexander replaced Louise Haigh as transport secretary in November 2024. Haigh has now been appointed as first secretary of state, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and minister for the Cabinet Office.
As the most senior cabinet office minister, Haigh’s responsibilities will include some aspects of risk, resilience and security policy for critical national infrastructure (CNI). She also oversees the work of the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (Nista), which acts as the government’s internal watchdog on major infrastructure projects.
Energy
Burnham has replaced Ed Miliband as secretary of state at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) with Miatta Fahnbulleh. Miliband has been appointed foreign secretary.
Fahnbulleh was previously parliamentary under-secretary of state at DESNZ between July 2024 and September 2025.
She was also parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) until May 2026 when she resigned in protest at former Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership following Labour’s poor performance at the local elections that month.
Fahnbulleh now oversees a department which is responsible for policy covering projects such as Sizewell C, Hinkley Point C, Great British Energy – Nuclear’s small modular reactor (SMR) programme, the Great Grid Upgrade, wider grid decarbonisation, and nuclear decommissioning and waste management.
Environment
Burnham has also replaced Emma Reynolds as secretary of state at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), with Angela Eagle. Reynolds has been moved to chief secretary to the Treasury.
Eagle was most recently security minister at the Cabinet Office and Home Office. She now has responsibility for policy areas including flood defence and water infrastructure.
Defence
Dan Jarvis had only been Ministry of Defence (MOD) secretary of state for just over a month, having replaced John Healey, but he has been replaced by former-health secretary Wes Streeting.
Streeting will now oversee the delivery of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) and the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which will likely provide an uplift in opportunities for civils firms to work on modernisation and new projects, such as military base upgrades.
Housing
At MHCLG, Steve Reed was replaced by Angela Rayner as secretary of state. Rayner previously held the role from July 2024 to September 2025. During her previous stint, she was also deputy prime minister.
Rayner now has responsibility for planning policy covering both major and minor projects.
Science
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has been merged with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). Jonathan Reynolds was appointed as secretary of state for business, innovation, science and trade.
He will likely have responsibility for attracting inward investment and for helping companies to export their products and services.
Treasury
At the top of his cabinet, Burnham appointed Healey as chancellor of the exchequer. Healey resigned as defence secretary in June because he wanted more money allocated to the Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
After his resignation, the government announced that the DIP would cover £15bn of additional investment in defence, which will include civils work, but is being funded in part by cuts to road and energy projects.
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Facts Only
* Andy Burnham made 27 ministerial appointments on July 20.
* Ten ministers left the government.
* Heidi Alexander was kept as Secretary of State for Transport.
* Heidi Alexander's department handles policy areas including HS2, Roads Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3), and Network Rail’s Control Period 7 (CP7).
* Heidi Alexander replaced Louise Haigh as transport secretary in November 2024.
* Louise Haigh was appointed First Secretary of State, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Minister for the Cabinet Office.
* Haigh oversees risk, resilience, and security policy for critical national infrastructure (CNI) and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (Nista).
* Miatta Fahnbulleh replaced Ed Miliband as Secretary of State at DESNZ.
* Fahnbulleh was previously Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at DESNZ (July 2024 to September 2025) and MHCLG until May 2026, when she resigned.
* Fahnbulleh oversees policy for projects such as Sizewell C, Hinkley Point C, SMRs, the Great Grid Upgrade, grid decarbonisation, and nuclear decommissioning/waste management.
* Angela Eagle replaced Emma Reynolds as Secretary of State at Defra, with Reynolds moving to Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
* Angela Eagle has responsibility for flood defence and water infrastructure policy.
* Wes Streeting replaced Dan Jarvis as MOD Secretary of State.
* Streeting will oversee the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) and the Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
* Angela Rayner replaced Steve Reed as Secretary of State at MHCLG, with previous tenure from July 2024 to September 2025 while also being Deputy Prime Minister.
* The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) was merged with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).
* Jonathan Reynolds was appointed Secretary of State for business, innovation, science and trade.
* Healey was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The restructuring highlights a significant realignment of authority within key policy areas, particularly infrastructure and energy security. The retention of Heidi Alexander in Transport, focusing on long-term transport strategy like HS2 and Network Rail, suggests an attempt to maintain stability in large public works, even as senior roles are reshuffled. The elevation of Louise Haigh to a role overseeing critical national infrastructure risk and the Nista indicates a focus on systemic oversight of major projects, which ties directly into the Defence Investment Plan's inclusion of civils work, suggesting infrastructure delivery is now explicitly linked to defence strategy.
The movement of Miatta Fahnbulleh into energy policy—specifically nuclear and grid decarbonisation—while simultaneously having a background in housing and resignation from MHCLG signals an attempt to place specific expertise at the centre of future energy transitions. This pattern suggests that policy continuity may be secondary to strategic focus on defined, high-priority outcomes (like net zero targets or infrastructure investment).
The intertwining of public finance decisions—such as funding for the DIP being partially sourced from cuts to road and energy projects—reveals an underlying tension between operational priorities and long-term strategic goals. The shift in ministerial positions reflects a narrative where specific expertise is being reallocated to enforce defined governmental objectives, raising questions about whether this prioritization inherently preserves or fractures broader governance principles regarding public sector continuity and stakeholder accountability. What mechanisms are in place to ensure that specialized knowledge flows seamlessly across these newly defined departmental boundaries without compromising the integrity of the original strategic intent?
Sentinel — Human
This text functions as a factual summary of ministerial appointments and policy shifts, exhibiting the structure and density typical of detailed governmental reporting rather than opinion or synthesized argumentation.