Housing Minister Dominic Raab has been appointed as Brexit Secretary following David Davis resignation.
Housing Minister Dominic Raab has been appointed as Brexit Secretary following David Davis resignation.
Rabb was only appointed to the role of Housing Minister in January and was the seventh minister to hold the portfolio since 2010.
He was also the third person to hold the role since Prime Minister Theresa May came to power in July 2016.
Russell Quirk, founder and chief executive of Emoov.co.uk, said: "Dominic Raab being appointed as Brexit Secretary, May well be a quick fix in the wake of David Davis’s resignation last night.
“However, the consequence is that we will now see our eighth Housing Minister sitting outside the Cabinet room, in as many years. Housing has become the poor relation in British politics, a ministerial post that should have a well-oiled revolving door attached to the position.
“We are in the midst of a housing crisis - a deficit of 100,000 new homes each year and acute unaffordability, whereby first-time buyers will soon celebrate their 40th birthday before being able to buy a home.”
He added: “We need consistency in the government where the housing brief is concerned andit must be a proper cabinet position, not a junior role relegated to the corridors of Whitehall.
“How are we as an industry or indeed the civil service to take the government seriously when they say that housing is a priority when, in fact, they play ‘Fantasy Housing Minister League’ like this with scant regard for the consequences."
Ishaan Malhi, chief executive and founder of Trussle, agreed that currently housing isn't a priority for the government when it should be.
He said: :“Two months ago, I was disappointed to see yet another reshuffle in the government’s Housing Ministry and now today we learn that the current Housing Minister (the 16th in 17 years) Dominic Raab has moved on from the post after just six months.
“I wish I could say I was surprised by the news but sadly this pattern has become all too predictable and once again we will have to listen to the pledges of another person in the job, the fourth since Theresa May took office.
“Since founding Trussle, I’ve gained a better understanding of the many problems that plague the housing market and what’s abundantly clear is that we desperately need not only innovation, but continuity of leadership and a strong hand willing to be brave on policy.”
Malhi added: “Instead, what we have is a government that doesn’t seem to be taking the issue seriously and an unstable Housing post.
“In a month’s time, we were expecting to see major policy changes via the National Planning Policy Framework. How can the public believe that any proposal will be delivered when the people who make them never stick around?
“Everyone should be able to dream of owning a home but this is becoming increasingly difficult for the current generation.
In my opinion, there are three key issues which must be addressed. Housing supply must be prioritised, piecemeal tax breaks must end, and there must be renewed effort to encourage innovation across the sector. I only hope the new Housing Minister can stay in the job long enough to have an impact on these.”
