How the APPGI will drive change in UK government policy in 2025

Infrastructure affects every part of our lives. Good infrastructure that’s reliable, sustainable, and affordable is critical to growth in the UK.

That’s why we’ve re-established the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Infrastructure (APPGI). And I’m very pleased to be elected as the chair of the group.

What are all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs)?

An important part of the workings of Westminster, APPGs provide opportunities for parliamentarians to focus and collaborate on areas of interest.

They bring together MPs and Lords to develop policy ideas, scrutinise government, and give a voice to the industry, topic, or issue they support.

To ensure the effective running of APPGs, many have a nominated secretariat – an organisation responsible for supporting them. The secretariat for APPGI is the Institution of Civil Engineers.

The power of engineering

I’m honoured to be chairing the group.

I’m a former graduate ICE member, holding my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering.

I joined Parliament in July, having spent nearly 20 years building a career in engineering and construction.

And it’s not an understatement to say that engineering changed my life.

Leaving college, I stumbled into a year in industry, where I joined Scott Wilson (now AECOM) in their infrastructure team. That year working on highways projects opened my eyes to a career in engineering.

I graduated as a civil engineer and worked my way up from designing projects for Severn Trent Water to shaping major programmes across the world at Mace, the global construction consultancy.

Those years have shaped my understanding of the power of engineering: delivering change and strengthening communities.

How the APPGI will make a difference in 2025

We have a government that wants to get Britain building. I know that quality infrastructure will make a positive difference to the lives of millions in the UK.

I want to use my time as chair to:

• Amplify diverse voices and views on routes into engineering and explore how the government can do more to get people into the sector.
• Explore strategic infrastructure planning in the UK, including the role of the new National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), the upcoming second National Infrastructure Strategy (NIS2), and the Integrated National Transport Strategy.
• Develop ideas on how best to engage the private sector in funding and financing infrastructure.
• Review the role engineering plays in major programmes and how we can improve certainty in future infrastructure projects.
• Examine the issue of water sector reform.
• Dig into some of the commercial challenges facing the sector, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including cash flow within supply chains and fair payment.

I've been approached by many industry contacts offering their support to the APPGI.

If you’d like to get in touch, please initially do so via the ICE, at [email protected], so we can fairly engage right across the industry.

I can’t wait to get started making real progress, supporting UK prosperity and growth, and championing the sector.