Theresa May: Absent from transport questions in the Commons

Alastair Darling has hit out at the Conservative reshuffle following Theresa May's absence from transport questions.

The new shadow environment and transport secretary was supposed take the lead on both issues. But on Tuesday she was absent from transport questions due to a committment to address the CBI in Birmingham.

Darling, who himself combines his transport brief with the role of Scottish secretary, noted May's absence. "We had expected to see the honourable lady, the member of Maidenhead [May] who we were told was in charge of both transport and the environment," he said.

"I can only conclude that she is dealing with the environment this morning since she can't be with us today."

His comments were met with shouts from the Tories who have in the past criticised his Scottish affairs role.

"I have no difficulty in coming to transport questions, I am always here, that is the big difference," Darling went on to say.

Defending his colleague, newly-appointed shadow transport secretary Damian Green said that May was at the CBI conference in Birmingham "listening to the many complaints of British business about the failure of the government to enable them with a proper transport policy to do their business profitably".

"The secretary of state has just admitted that one in five trains run late in this country, that's double the figure that his government inherited," he added.

"And his response has been typical of this government. He's abandoned the passenger growth targets, imposed above-inflation fare increases, and cut the number of services.

"The deputy prime minister once promised to increase choice and cut congestion.

"Isn't it true instead that this government has cut choice and increased congestion?"

Darling refuted his claims saying: "What is clear is that Britain's railways, and indeed our roads for that matter, have suffered from decades of underinvestment. Successive government - not just Conservatives, but Labour governments as well - have not spent as much as they should have done over a long period."