Tom Richmond: Who is actually steering our shambolic transport system?

I ask this after Rotherham-born Justine Greening was unceremoniously removed from this post, after less than 11 months, because of her well-documented opposition to Heathrow Airport’s third runway.

As Chancellor, Osborne backs the runway as a sop to business and to mask his own deficiencies on growth; Johnson believes it is a non-starter because of public opposition and favours the Boris Island airport in the Thames Estuary and McLoughlin, the former chief whip, has been made Transport Secretary because his Midlands constituency should be unaffected by this power struggle.

No wonder Britain’s transport infrastructure – whether it road or rail – lags behind the rest of the world when such short-sightedness has led to unprecedented car congestion and unacceptable levels of overcrowding on the trains.

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In 11 months, Greening did the groundwork which will pave the way for a high-speed rail network from London to the North, provided the Government does not perform yet another u-turn. Her reward? A demotion to the role of International Development Secretary. It is no way to run a business, never mind a Whitehall ministry.

For the record, McLoughlin is the 20th Transport Secretary in the past 30 years – a period of uncertainty that began with Osborne’s father-in law David Howell, a Tory peer who lost his foreign affairs portfolio this week.

In the same period, Leeds United – which, just like successive governments, has overspent and under-achieved – has had 20 managers, including caretakers.

It’s the same at Hull City while both Sheffield Clubs – United and Wednesday – have had 17 managers apiece in the same period. Contrast this with Manchester United, British football’s most dominant club, which has had just two managers – Ron Atkinson and the incomparable Sir Alex Ferguson – in three decades. Enough said.

A final point on stop-start transport policy. These shake-ups perpetuate complacency, as exemplified by Northern Rail blaming “inclement weather” – among other factors – for unjustifiable delays on the Harrogate to Leeds line in high summer.

By the time Northern is held to account, Britain will be on its 21st Transport Secretary in three decades. David Cameron says his reshuffle was about getting Britain working again. disagree. It was about how not to run a country.