New housing minister revealed during reshuffle as Pincher departs
New minister is Stuart Andrew who, in the best traditions of reshuffles, has no experience of the industry other than being a BTL landlord.
Christopher Pincher, one of the longest-serving housing ministers in recent times, has been replaced today by fellow whip Stuart Andrew (pictured).
This makes the MP for Pudsey, Horsforth and Aireborough the 20th housing minister in 23 years.
Andrew’s previous Whitehall experience includes being a Deputy Chief Whip, a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Defence and before that a similar role at the Wales Office.
The announcement marks the end of a reasonably long stint as housing minister by Pincher, making him the longest-serving holder of the role since Brandon Lewis left the post in July 2016.
Pincher’s removal from ministerial duties is expected to take him to the Whips’ Office where he will join the team cajoling fellow MPs to back the beleaguered and weakened PM.
Reactions from the industry to Pincher’s departure have been muted so far.
Many fear Pincher’s departure and Stuart’s arrival will only further delay progress on so many pieces of the industry legislation that have failed to make progress recently.
This includes the long-expected renting reform proposals, and the Regulation of Property Agents regulations, which have been resting in the long grass for several years now.
Sean Hooker (pictured), Head of Redress at the PRS, says he hopes that Pincher’s departure doesn’t delay progress on reform of the private rented sector and that Andrew can ‘get up to speed as quick as possible’.
“We look forward to working with the new minister once he has been brief and gets to grips with his bulging intray.”
Nathan Emerson (pictured), CEO of Propertymark, says: “We welcome Stuart Andrew MP to his appointment as the new Housing Minister. He takes on the role at an important time for the housing market with a lack of supply and additional costs for consumers.
“He must re-energise the planning system to remove known barriers to maximising delivery and also plan for the anticipated housing needs of older people.
“We look forward to working constructively with the new Minister to find solutions to speed up the home buying and selling process and ensure critical material information is provided to consumers in a clear and transparent way. This will not only help to keep the market moving but allow agents to help Level Up the country.”
