Keir Mather’s appointment as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Transport took many by surprise yesterday. Lilian Greenwood’s departure was surprise enough but the appointment of the Selby MP who was born during Tony Blair’s first stint as Prime Minister was, perhaps, unexpected. Mather is the youngest government minister since William Gladstone was appointed in 1834.

The Yorkshire Press reported that Mr Mather, until yesterday the Government’s Assistant Whip, said it was a “privilege” to have been offered the role, and the new Junior Minister posted on X that “keeping Britain moving is central to achieving economic growth. Looking forward to getting started!”

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said she was “delighted” to welcome Mr Mather who, like Sir Keir Starmer, was named after the first leader of the Labour Party, Keir Hardie, to the Department for Transport, also taking to X to say ““Together we will continue to drive forward this Labour government’s work to rebuild a transport system Britain can rely on,”

The Oxford graduate became the youngest serving MP – dubbed the Baby of the House – when he was elected to serve Selby and Ainsty aged 25 in 2023, following the resignation of Conservative MP Nigel Adams. He was then elected MP for the new seat of Selby following a boundary change at the 2024 general election and overturned a 20,000 Conservative majority. He had previously served as a researcher for Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP. and Streeting told the Daily Telegraph that Mather has the “potential to go as far, which I’m sure will attract some commentary. That commentary should include sharp mind, excellent judgment, empathetic leader and one of the nicest people in politics.”

Remarking on Mr Mather’s election victory, the Conservatives’ Johnny Mercer, who incidentally lost his seat in the election, said:

“I think it’s always good to get new people in politics… [but] we mustn’t become a sort of repeat of The Inbetweeners.”

Keir Mather’s rapid rise through the ranks has culminated in his appointment as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport. Time will tell if this role serves as a stepping stone on the path to becoming a future Labour leader.

(Pic: gov.uk)