Keir Mather has formally amended the National Policy Statement for Ports after the revised text completed the parliamentary process required by the Planning Act.
The statement applies to nationally significant port infrastructure in England and to reserved trust ports in Wales, currently Milford Haven.
Mather laid the revised text before Parliament on 6 July. It could be amended after 21 sitting days because neither House passed a resolution against it.
The updated statement will guide decisions on major port projects and is intended to support investment while strengthening economic resilience and environmental safeguards.
Ports handle most of Britain's international freight and have largely financed their own expansion. The policy seeks to give developers and planning decision-makers a clearer national framework for future capacity.
The change is a planning-policy decision, not approval or funding for any individual port scheme. Specific projects will still require assessment through the relevant consent process.
