The revolving door of housing ministers continued yesterday with the sacking of Esther McVey after just seven months in the role and the appointment of her successor, Christopher Pincher.
Pincher becomes the 11th housing minister in ten years, the tenth since the Conservatives came to power in 2010, the seventh since the EU referendum, and the 19th since 1997.
MP for Tamworth and a former whip, he moves from the Foreign Office. Yesterday evening, he tweeted:
Last night, Mark Hayward and David Cox of Propertymark said in a joint statement: “We welcome Christopher Pincher as the new housing minister.
“Unfortunately, the lack of continuity in this post and the persistent changes means it’s near impossible for anyone in the role to make an impact.
“Fixing the broken housing market should be the priority, and there’s a number of consultations and policy that requires action – most importantly the Regulation of Property Agents.
“We look forward to working with the new minister on these important changes to the industry.”
McVey, a former TV presenter, was appointed last July and will be little remembered from her short stint – setting up an expert council to support technological innovation in the property sector, extending Help to Buy mortgages from 25 to 35 years and providing funding for the development of carbon-free homes in Yorkshire.
Yesterday she tweeted:
I’m very sorry to be relieved of my duties as Housing Minister
I wish my successor the very best & every success
I’m very grateful to the Prime Minister for having given me the opportunity to serve in his government & he will continue to have my support from the back benches
— Esther McVey (@EstherMcVey1) February 13, 2020
Meanwhile Chancellor Sajid Javid has been replaced by Rishi Sunak, who does have a track record in housing as a previous junior minister.
Before joining the Treasury last July, Sunak was Parliamentary under secretary of state at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government from January 2018
He also sat on the Parliamentary committee that scrutinised the Tenant Fees Bill.
Interesting isn’t it. Fake titles for fake jobs that pay £100k a year.
And they call estate agents dodgy.
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Phew had to double take there, initially read it as t-i-t-t-i-e-s
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So that is 205 days, correct? Who was closest in the sweepstake? Hands up for the No-Prize.
Now taking bets for Pincher. How many days does everyone think?
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Does anyone know if he is agent friendly or in love with those MOON people at Shelter?
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When Tory Housing Ministers are appointed they are given a two part instruction brief which reads:
1. Make sure house prices keep rising.
2. See point 1.
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