Feb

NEWSFLASH: Housing minister Christopher Pincher replaced during reshuffle

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Christopher Pincher, one of the more longer-serving housing ministers in recent times, has been a victim of Boris Johnson’s brutal cabinet reshuffle today.

Until now the MP for Tamworth had been a housing ministry survivor, retaining his role as a minister in Johnson’s reshuffle in September 2021 when Gove replaced Jenrick.

Despite losing his red box privileges, Pincher’s stint at the Ministry of Housing and latterly the Department of Levelling Up make him the longest-serving holder of the role since Brandon Lewis left the post in July 2016.

But Pincher is not moving because he’s disloyal – rather the opposite; he is expected to get the job of Chief Whip from Mark Spencer, whose authority had been undermined in recent week as ‘loyalists’ like Pincher whipped fellow MPs into backing the beleaguered PM.

His replacement is Stuart Andrew (pictured) MP for Pudsey, Horsforth and Aireborough and, as is traditional now, has almost no experience of the housing sector.

Reactions from the industry to Pincher’s departure have been tepid, largely because progress on so many pieces of key industry legislation has failed to proceed recently including the long-promised r enting reform proposals, and the regulation of estate agency regulations, both of which have been languishing in ministerial inboxes for several years now.

Sean Hooker, 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’.

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.

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