News20.09.22by James WilmoreLee Rowley has been named as the government’s new housing minister, the 13th Conservative to be handed the job in the past 12 years.SharelinesLee Rowley has been named as the government’s new housing minister, the 13th Conservative to be handed the job in the past 12 years #UKhousing The Chesterfield-born MP replaces Marcus Jones, who spent 63 days in the role after taking up the reins from Stuart Andrew.Â
Mr Andrew quit amid the rebellion against Boris Johnson that led to the former prime minister’s resignation. Mr Rowley’s appointment comes at the tail end of a major reshuffle by new prime minister Liz Truss.
A former banker, Mr Rowley became an MP in 2017 after becoming the first Conservative since 1935 to win the seat of North East Derbyshire. He spent 16 months as deputy chair of the Conservative Party before being made a junior minister at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and a government whip a year ago. His brief at BEIS included construction.Â
He quit his ministerial post in July along with a swathe of his colleagues in the rebellion against Mr Johnson.Â
He will report to new housing secretary Simon Clarke – who was appointed earlier this month – at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Sign up for our Week in Housing newsletter