Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has appointed Sir James Cleverly as shadow housing secretary in a reshuffle of her senior team.
Sir James, a former foreign and home secretary, will now face deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who is also secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, in parliament on housing issues. He replaces Kevin Hollinrake, who has been named Conservative Party chairman.
Sir James returns to the frontbench after serving as a backbench MP following his elimination from the Conservative leadership contest in October 2024.
Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark, welcomed the appointment. He said: “We look forward to working with Sir James Cleverly in ensuring that the private rental sector sees a boost in the supply of affordable homes to meet growing demand levels and that moving forward, the market and any future legislative changes are fit for purpose and make the sector fairer for all.
“We also need to see policies that help continue to encourage the number of properties being built whilst protecting the ethos of green belt land and the wider environment in general, and continuous improvement to help reform the leasehold system.”
The reshuffle sees well-known former estate agent, Kevin Hollinrake become Conservative Party chairman, taking over from Nigel Huddleston.
Hollinrake studied physics at Sheffield Hallam University but his entrepreneurial spirit led to him co-founding Hunters Estate Agents in 1992. The business grew to over 200 branches nationwide, with over 1,000 employees.
In 2015 he was elected MP for Thirsk and Malton and by 2017 had become Parliamentary Private Secretary to Michael Gove at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Following the 2024 general election, when he won the Thirsk and Malton seat for a fourth term, Hollinrake became Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade in Rishi Sunak’s interim Shadow Cabinet. Last November, Badenoch made him Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Following yesterday’s appointment, Hollinrake posted a statement on X:
I am honoured to have been appointed Chairman of the Conservative Party. I want to pay tribute to my predecessors, Nigel Huddleston and Lord (Dominic) Johnson, whose dedication and hard work have laid the foundations for the future. Their efforts in navigating challenging times and advancing our Conservative cause will not be forgotten.
Politics is about making a positive difference, but it’s also a communications business. As Chairman, my focus will be on working with our entire Conservative family – MPs, MSs, MSPs, councillors, activists, and members – towards one goal: electing more Conservatives at every level.
We will champion the values and policies that matter to the public: aspiration, responsibility, opportunity and national pride. We will proudly promote Kemi Badenoch’s true Conservative agenda, combining these strong principles and values with sound financial discipline.
We will stay firmly rooted in the real concerns of the British people while avoiding easy slogans, unaffordable pledges or short-term gimmicks. The Conservatives are unashamedly on the side of Britain’s makers, people that work hard, do the right thing and want to get on in life.
This is a time for unity, clarity, and ambition. Let’s get to work.
Congratulations to Kevin Hollinrake on becoming Conservative Party Chairman.
In a 2019 intake widely seen as the low-water mark for quality and principle, Kevin was the exception: real-world experience, integrity, and a focus on delivery over headlines. His appointment is easy to applaud, even if many of us remain ambivalent about the party’s recent legacy—the decimation of NHS dentistry, collapsing public services, and an economic policy built on the sand of ultra-low interest rates. That short-term trick inflated asset values for the few while leaving the majority worse off.
But the real eyebrow-raiser? The resurrection of Sir Mr Lover Lover as Shadow Housing Secretary—a throwback to the scandal-soaked, selfie-obsessed circus that made Westminster look more Love Island than mother of parliaments.
If this is “renewal,” it feels less like a bold reset and more like a Hobson’s choice. Putting Cleverly in charge of housing is the political equivalent of promoting your weakest negotiator to branch manager—because all the good ones have jumped ship
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