Steve Reed replaces Angela Rayner as housing secretary

Steve Reed has been appointed housing secretary following Angela Rayner’s resignation last week.

Reed, MP for Streatham and Croydon North, moves into the brief from his role as environment secretary, which he has held for the past 14 months. A former leader of Lambeth Council, he now becomes the 17th minister to take on the housing role in little over a decade.

His promotion comes after Rayner quit as deputy prime minister and housing secretary when Sir Laurie Magnus, the prime minister’s standards adviser, ruled she had breached the ministerial code over unpaid stamp duty on a property purchase.

Her departure has prompted a major cabinet reshuffle by prime minister Sir Keir Starmer just months into Labour’s time in office.

Melanie Leech, chief executive, British Property Federation, said: “We look forward to working with the Rt Hon Steve Reed MP in his new role as secretary of state for housing to unlock investment, tackle viability challenges and make sure the legislative and policy framework supports the real estate sector to thrive and help to deliver the economic growth the UK so desperately needs.

“His predecessor made a bold start on reforming the planning system and empowering the English regions to strive for growth. We now need to collectively ensure that that agenda not only continues but that government works with the real estate industry closely to help deliver our collective ambitions.”

Mark Washer, group chief executive of SNG, said: “It’s good that housing has maintained its central place in the government’s agenda with a strong secretary of state in Steve Reed. He will need to make sure the department and its 1.5m home milestone carries the same weight in cabinet.

“The government’s message this week is that it is focused on delivery. For that to be a reality, it’s essential that Reed continues close engagement and listens to housing associations which can turn the progress of the last year in areas like planning into a sustainable future of good, affordable homes for the millions of people who need them.”

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