Liz Truss unveils Simon Clarke as the new housing secretary

Simon Clarke has been appointed as the new housing secretary as part of the Liz Truss’s new cabinet.

The MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland was widely expected to be given the job.

He has been an MP since 2017 and yesterday he tweeted: “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.

“This is a department that I know really well, and which I am so looking forward to returning to – the commitment and expertise of officials there on themes as diverse as homelessness, building safety and devolution is second to none.”

Whether the Rental Reform Bill will go ahead

There is no indication yet whether the Rental Reform Bill will go ahead, be amended or get binned.

Ben Beadle, the chief executive of the National Residential Landlords’ Association, said: “The NRLA welcomes Simon Clarke’s appointment as Housing Secretary.

“The new Minister will need urgently to address the rental housing supply crisis.

“Damaging tax hikes and uncertainty over reforms to the private rented sector are leading many landlords to leave the market when demand for rented homes remains high.

“All this is doing is increasing rents, making it more difficult for those wanting to become homeowners.”

‘Look afresh at the rental reform White Paper’

He added: “The Government needs to look afresh at the rental reform White Paper to ensure the plans in it have the confidence of responsible landlords.

“This needs to include action to tackle anti-social tenants, scrapping plans that would damage the student housing market, and reforming the courts to ensure legitimate possession cases are dealt with more swiftly.”

The chief executive of the British Property Federation, Melanie Leech, said: “He will play a critical role in the Prime Minister’s plans to ‘deliver, deliver, deliver’, with levelling up, housing supply and carbon reduction all vital to the UK’s future prosperity and global competitiveness.

“We stand ready to work with the Secretary of State to unlock billions of pounds of property investment that will transform places across the UK, and we urge him to take decisive action quickly, the clock is ticking.”