Liz Truss has appointed Simon Clarke as the new Levelling up, Housing, and Communities secretary.
Clarke, 37, takes over from Greg Clark, who held the role for two months following Boris Johnson’s sacking of Michael Gove.
The move comes as Truss appoints her first cabinet following her appointment as prime minister.
Clarke, the MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, previously served as a minister in the Housing, Communities, and Local Government department.
He is a qualified solicitor who worked as a policy specialist on health and education before being elected as an MP in 2017.
In government, he most recently served as chief secretary to the Treasury, a role to which he was appointed on 15 September 2021.
He is a staunch Brexiteer and a supporter of the Eurosceptic campaign Leave Means Leave.
Commenting on his appointment on Twitter, Clarke said: “It’s a huge honour to be appointed Secretary of State @luhc. Delivering on Levelling Up for communities in all parts of our country, unlocking the homes we need and supporting the economic growth that is so central to @trussliz’s Government is our mission – will give it my all.”
Responding to the appointment on Twitter, National Housing Federation CEO Kate Henderson said: “Congratulations @SimonClarkeMP on your appointment as Secretary of State for @luhc. We look forward to working with you on shared housing priorities, including safeguarding the supply of affordable homes, building safety, quality, homelessness and more.”
The Chartered Institute of Housing said: “A warm welcome to @SimonClarkeMP on your appointment to Secretary of State for @luhc – we look forward to working with you on all things housing #ukhousing.”
There have now been seven different housing secretaries since the Conservatives returned to power in 2010 – eight, if you count Greg Clark’s two separate stints.
Image credit: Wikipedia Commons
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