Housing minister Raab now takes over David Davis exit-EU role

It’s been announced this morning that Dominic Raab - who became housing minister just a few months ago - is to become the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union.

He is replacing David Davis, who resigned last night.

This now means there will be yet another housing minister - the 17th in 21 years.

Raab was a prominent anti-EU campaigner during the 2016 Referendum campaign and in his short spell as housing minister made many more social media contributions on the subject of the EU than he did about housing.

Since becoming housing minister in January he has made few key speeches while his recently-appointed boss - James Brokenshire, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government - made the running on policy announcements such as the proposals for three year standard tenancies in the private rental sector.

Raab's tenure as housing minister is the shortest of the 16 who have held the post since 1997. There is no word yet on who will replace Raab at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

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There’s been swift reaction from Russell Quirk, chief executive of Emoov.

“Housing has become the poor relation in British politics, a ministerial post that should have a well-oiled revolving door attached to the position. We are in the midst of a housing crisis - a deficit of 100,000 new homes each year and acute unaffordability, whereby first-time buyers will soon celebrate their 40th birthday before being able to buy a home.

“We need consistency in the Government where the housing brief is concerned and it must be a proper cabinet position, not a junior role relegated to the corridors of Whitehall. How are we as an industry or indeed the civil service to take the Government seriously when they say that housing is a priority when, in fact, they play ‘Fantasy Housing Minister League’ like this with scant regard for the consequences" he concludes.