As routeone closed for press, it was expected that Jesse Norman MP would be announced as the new Buses Minister, replacing Andrew Jones who has been moved to the Treasury.
Mr Norman, MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire since May 2010, is now Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport (DfT), having held the same post at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, since last July.
But what will the new man, assuming it is he, be like?
Married to Kate since 1992, they have three children and he studied at Oxford University (BA) and University College London (MPhil, PhD).
He was awarded Spectator ‘Parliamentarian of the Year’’ and The House ‘Backbencher of the Year’’ in 2012.
Before entering politics Mr Norman was a Director at Barclays, researched and taught mathematics philosophy at University College London, and ran a charitable project in Communist Eastern Europe.
His books and pamphlets include The Achievement of Michael Oakeshott, After Euclid, Compassionate Conservatism and The Big Society.
His book Edmund Burke: politician, philosopher, prophet was listed for three prizes.
He has also written regularly for the national press and is described by The London Evening Standard as “the Government’s worst nightmare – an intellectual conscience” after he was sacked as an adviser in 2013 for rebelling in the Commons vote on Syria. Now he’s returned to favour, what might this ‘rebel’ bring to the world of buses?
