Reshuffle
++ 


The
Prime
Minister
is
holding
the
first
meeting
of
his
new
cabinet
this
morning,
having
replaced
a
number
of
ministers
following
his
appointment
by
the
King.
One
of
them
is
new
transport
secretary
Mark
Harper,
who
is
MP
for
Forest
of
Dean.
He
has
replaced
Anne-Marie
Trevelyan
who
was
only
in
her
post
for
a
few
weeks,
having
been
given
the
job
by
Liz
Truss.
Ms
Trevelyan
had
supported
Boris
Johnson
in
the
latest
competition
for
Conservative
leader.
The
train
operators’
group
Rail
Partners
has
welcomed
Mr
Harper
to
his
post.
Chief
executive
Andy
Bagnall
said:
‘Congratulations
to
Mark
Harper
on
his
appointment.
Rail
Partners
and
its
members
look
forward
to
working
closely
with
him
and
his
wider
ministerial
team.’
Meanwhile,
the
transport
secretary
in
Boris
Johnson’s
government
Grant
Shapps
also
served
briefly
as
home
secretary
under
Ms
Truss,
and
is
now
business
secretary
in
Rishi
Sunak’s
Cabinet.

Strikes
++ The
RMT
will
be
staging
its
next
series
of
National
Rail
strikes
on
5,
7
and
9
November
in
the
continuing
dispute
over
jobs,
conditions
and
pay.
Network
Rail
staff
will
walk
out
on
all
three
days,
and
workers
at
most
train
operating
companies
will
also
strike
on
5
November.
In
connection
with
separate
disputes,
RMT
members
on
London
Underground
and
Overground
will
strike
on
10
November.
A
Network
Rail
strike
had
originally
been
planned
for
3
November,
but
this
has
been
postponed
to
the
9th
so
as
not
to
disrupt
the
Royal
British
Legion’s
Poppy
Day.
It
is
the
second
time
this
year
that
railway
strikes
have
been
postponed
because
of
an
event
of
national
importance,
because
walkouts
were
also
called
off
so
that
they
would
not
coincide
with
the
period
of
Royal
Mourning
in
September.