Labour’s Heidi Alexander MP has been named to succeed Val Shawcross as the London Deputy Mayor for Transport.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said in a statement that Shawcross will stand down after 18 years at the Greater London Authority.

Alexander has a background working as a Deputy Mayor for Lewisham, and was a member of London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee. As an MP she represented Lewisham East from 2010, and was Shadow Secretary for Health.

The step down and replacement is to take place this summer. According to UK law Alexander cannot be an MP and Deputy Mayor so will stand down from her seat shortly. According to the London Mayor’s statement, Khan will “also in due course intends to nominate Heidi to succeed Val as the Deputy Chair of Transport for London”.

Khan added: “I’m delighted that Heidi Alexander has agreed to become our new Deputy Mayor for Transport. Heidi knows this city inside-out, and her work both as Shadow Health Secretary and campaigning over the best Brexit deal has demonstrated the terrific job she will do as part of my team standing up for London.

“Heidi is respected across the political divide as a parliamentarian and campaigner, and Londoners can be confident she will ensure we deliver our ambitious plans to transform London’s transport network over the coming years.”

Alexander said: “I am really excited to be joining Sadiq and the team at City Hall. Val is going to be a hard act to follow but I can’t wait to get started.

“After eight years as the Member of Parliament for Lewisham East and six years as a local councillor, I know just how important it is we ensure everyone has access to a high-quality and affordable public transport network, with safe cycling routes across the capital. London is a fantastic city. I know Sadiq wants its transport system to be the envy of the world and I am looking forward to playing my part in making that happen.”