Angela Rayner has been appointed Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Rayner, who took over the shadow Housing Secretary role last autumn shadowing Michael Gove, will also hold the position of deputy prime minister. Hers is one of the first cabinet appointments made by incoming prime minister Keir Starmer, alongside Rachel Reeves as chancellor.
Rayner will oversee the new government's ambitious housing plans, including reforming the planning process, building 'a new generation of new towns, inspired by the proud legacy of the 1945 Labour government', and looking at ending no-fault evictions.
Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark commented on the appointment:
"Propertymark have already established a strong working relationship with Labour and across the coming months there will be an intensified focus on further building on this by working closely with the newly announced Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner.
"As Ms Rayner takes on responsibility for housing, our key aim is to help ensure members are robustly represented and any new legislation is dynamic and practical, in addition new policies must be delivered with integrity, precision and pace.
“It is essential housing plays a key priority moving forward, as we have witnessed many decades of housing demand drastically outstrip supply. Currently we have a situation that feels like it’s on a knifes edge, especially with a population that is predicted to grow to around 70m within the next ten years. There must be critical cross-party conversation that sets a clear strategy moving forwards, and for this to happen, we need broad stakeholder involvement, wide ranging infrastructure development and all involved must look to the better use of technology for both insight and ongoing delivery.”