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Raab leaves housing minister role to take up Brexit secretary position
Dominic Raab has been moved from his role as housing minister after just six months in the post.
He has been named new Brexit secretary, replacing David Davis.
Mr Davis resigned from government today over a disagreement with Theresa May’s strategy for negotiating the UK’s exit from the EU.
Downing Street has not yet announced who will replace Mr Raab as housing minister.
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Mr Raab’s replacement will be the eighth housing minister since 2010.
His six-month tenure is the shortest stint in the role in this period – a month less than his direct predecessor Alok Sharma who was reshuffled after seven months in the role.
And another! #ukhousing pic.twitter.com/zHSy0s8S40
— David O’Leary (@DOLeary100)And another! #ukhousing pic.twitter.com/zHSy0s8S40
— David O'Leary (@DOLeary100) July 9, 2018
Following Mr Raab’s appointment, sector figures expressed frustration at the fast turnover of housing ministers and called for continuity in the role.
On Twitter, John Healey, Labour’s housing secretary said: “Dominic Raab’s move means that Theresa May is already on her fourth housing minister in just two years as PM. Eight different housing ministers in eight years. No way to run a government.”
David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, added: “I completely get why Dominic Raab has been promoted, and congrats to him. But when I met him just after I’d announced my retirement I said that I’d probably outlast him. Please can we have a housing minister who really wants the job and wants to make a difference?”
Mr Raab gave a speech to the Housing 2018 conference in Manchester last month, where he recommitted the government to the Right to Buy policy.
The minister, a Vote Leave campaigner, caused controversy in April when he linked rising house prices to immigration.
He has been working on the Social Housing Green Paper – work which began under Mr Sharma’s tenure. The paper, which was originally expected in the spring, is due to be published this month.
This story will be updated
