Rayner’s Back! Burnham’s surprise choice as Housing Secretary

Angela Rayner’s return to frontline politics is a personal comeback and puts her at the centre of key policies.

Her reprise role as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government will mean that she will take the lead in implementing house buying reforms, announced by her predecessor Steve Reed in June.

And if there are private rent controls tested or introduced as part of a devolution package, she will have responsibility for that too.

On top of all those measures, the local government part of her brief will mean she has responsibility for council reorganisation proposals announced just last week, as well as being part of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s large scale devolution pledges made during his leadership campaign.

Some 10 months ago Rayner resigned after underpaying £40,000 in stamp duty on a second home, breaching the ministerial code despite acting in good faith.

Rayner – who then served as the UK Deputy Prime Minister as well as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government – resigned following revelations that she had underpaid stamp duty on an £800,000 flat in East Sussex, purchased in May last year. 

Key Cabinet positions in Burnham’s government:

• John Healey returns to the cabinet as chancellor;
• Ed Miliband stays in cabinet as foreign secretary;

• Shabana Mahmood remains home secretary;
• Angela Rayner returns to her former role of housing secretary;

• Louise Haigh becomes chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, first secretary of state and Cabinet Office minister;
• Pat McFadden keeps his job as work and pensions secretary;

• Yvette Cooper is appointed health secretary;
• Jonathan Reynolds is named business secretary;

• Lucy Powell returns to cabinet as education secretary;
• Bridget Phillipson remains minister for women and equalities, but loses education brief;

Anneliese Midgley is appointed chief whip and will be a member of the cabinet.

This article is taken from Landlord Today