Ruth Kelly is new transport secretary

Ruth Kelly has been appointed Transport Secretary in Gordon Brown’s cabinet shake-up.

The former Communities and Local Government Secretary will take over from Douglas Alexander.

Kelly has previously attracted criticism over membership of the extreme Roman Catholic sect Opus Dei, some members of which self flagellate as a reminder of the suffering of Christ.

Opus Dei was made famous by Dan Brown’s bestselling book The Da Vinci Code, which referred to it as a strict religious order. Ruth Kelly has been reported to have “supernumerary” status within the organisation, meaning she is not required to inflict pain on herself.

Ruth Kelly recently granted a repieve to a local motocross track, which was created without planning permission. To read about it, click here.

She has previously insisted that her faith is not relevant to her job.
Former Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander has been appointed International Development Secretary.