THE disgraced Tyneside MP Steven Byers has been replaced as transport secretary by Alistair Darling.
Byers quit as transport secretary at a surprise press conference yesterday and Downing Street has anounced this morning that his replacement will be the former employee of the Department of Work and Pensions.
Darling will only take on the transport side of the department's work load and the regions portfolio will be given to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.
The new transport minister will have the responsibility of sorting out the troubled rail network.
Although his job will made easier as the rail union TSSA, which represents a third of Arriva Trains Northern's station and retail staff has cancelled its sheduled 48-hour strike and recommended that its staff accept the four per cent pay offer.
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