Kemi Badenoch appoints new shadow housing secretary

He was appointed parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (now Business and Trade) in October 2022, staying in the role until March 2024. 

As the minister for postal affairs, he was responsible for government oversight of the Post Office. 

Mr Hollinrake served as minister of state for enterprise, markets and small business from February 2023 to March 2024. 

He was appointed shadow secretary for business and trade in July, before Ms Badenoch’s cabinet shadow cabinet was announced in November.

In a post on X, he said was “very sad” to be leaving his post “but also very much looking forward to the new challenges” in his new role.

“All policy areas I’m very passionate about, not least making it much easier to get on the housing ladder. My thanks to Kemi Badenoch for entrusting me with this very important brief,” he added.

Mr Hollinrake, who is a landlord, was one of 72 MPs who voted down an amendment to the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 in 2016 that obliged landlords to make their homes fit for human habitation.

He sat on the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee between 2017 and 2019.