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Who will be the new housing minister?
As the sector waits for the announcement of the new housing minister, Pete Apps rounds up some of the runners and riders
The English housing sector is in a state of limbo with no government minister in charge. The well-respected Gavin Barwell lost his marginal seat to Labour last Thursday, opening up a vacancy which is yet to be filled.
For the housing sector this is Groundhog Day, with four ministers since 2012, lasting an average of 14 months each before being moved on or, in Mr Barwell’s case, dumped by the electorate.
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Currently the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has not been briefed on when to expect its new minister and the cabinet reshuffle has been delayed until the end of the week as the prospective government hunts in vain for goat skin and a sense of political authority.
In the meantime there is plenty of speculation on Twitter as to who will be handed the housing brief. Here are some runners and riders (in no particular order):
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Mark Prisk
Several commentators have tipped chartered surveyor Mr Prisk for a return to the role he filled between September 2012 and October 2013.
While his tenure was not particularly memorable, he was well respected in the sector as an intelligent and principled politician who knew his brief.
His quiet media style was a sharp contrast to his predecessor, the bombastic Grant Shapps.
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Jake Berry
The Rossendale and Darwen MP has a solid housing background, having served as parliamentary private secretary to the aforementioned Mr Shapps.
He later joined the Number 10 policy unit during the coalition with responsibility for housing, regional growth and local government.
- Bob Blackman
Mr Blackman has become a familiar name in the housing sector over the past 12 months, having successfully introduced a private members’ bill with the support of Crisis which went on to become the Homelessness Prevention Act. The Conservatives have committed to halving rough sleeping by 2022 and may turn to Mr Blackman to make his vision a reality. He has 24 years of local authority experience in Brent before becoming an MP in Harrow East in 2010.
- Stephen Hammond
Mr Barwell’s brief also included the title of minister for London, which may mean a London MP gets the nod if the party decides to keep the same joint brief. However, this isn’t a big pool following the party’s disastrous night in the capital. Mr Hammond stood in for Zac Goldsmith at the National Housing Federation’s housing hustings ahead of the mayoral election last year.
- Wildcard options
A few names thrown around on Twitter include former banker Sam Gyimah, Jo Johnson (brother of Boris Johnson) and an unlikely return to the DCLG for former planning minister Nick Boles. But the truth is, the Conservatives’ choices of housing minister in recent years have followed no real pattern, with ministers plucked from relative obscurity on the backbenches or junior roles in other departments. So the likeliest bet remains an unexpected face.
