Kevin Hollinrake appointed Shadow Housing Secretary in Conservative cabinet

Former estate agent Kevin Hollinrake has been appointed as the new Shadow Housing Secretary.

Kemi Badenoch, the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party, has been assembling her Shadow cabinet.

Mr Hollinrake previously served as the Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade.

Tough time to start

Mr Hollinrake, the MP for Thirsk and Malton, co-founded the estate agency Hunters with John Waterhouse in 1992.

On Mr Hollinrake’s website, he says starting a property business in the 1990s was difficult.

He said: “It was a tough time to start. Two months after opening our doors, we were hit by Black Wednesday when in one day interest rates went from 10% to 15%.

“We worked very hard and true to our name, hunted down every deal and we prayed that the market would improve. Eventually, it did and we never looked back.”

Hunters have more than 200 branches nationwide including 30 in Greater London with gross turnover in excess of £40m and approximately 1000 people employed throughout the network.

Make it easier to get on the housing ladder

Mr Hollinrake said on X, formerly Twitter, that he is delighted to be appointed and hopes to help more people access affordable housing.

He said: “Very sad to be leaving my post as Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade but also very much looking forward to the new challenges in my role as Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, all policy areas I’m very passionate about, not least making it much easier to get on the housing ladder.

“My thanks to Kemi Badenoch for entrusting me with this very important brief.”

‘Sector is about to see substantial evolution’

Propertymark’s chief executive, Nathan Emerson, said: “We congratulate Kevin Hollinrake on his appointment as Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, especially at a time when the housing sector is about to see substantial evolution which will require industry wide collaboration, as well as strong cross-party consensus.

“These issues include planning reform, tax structure, regulations and an urgent need to help inspire long term investment, all of which will form key pillars for the Shadow Minister to address.”

He added: “These continuous challenges require strong thinking, and Propertymark looks forward to working with Mr Hollinrake.

“He is a respected former agent whom we have worked with in the past to ensure progression and balance within the property sector.”

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