Sunak marks 100 days with Cabinet reshuffle
With Rishi Sunak reaching 100 days of his premiership in early February, the prime minister decided to reset his government with a Cabinet reshuffle and a reshaping of departments. Sunak has created four new departments, resulting in a split to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
The new departments formed out of BEIS include a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero – BEIS Secretary of State, Grant Shapps, has been appointed as the Secretary for this new department. It is likely that this department will handle housing energy efficiency funding programmes such as the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Home Upgrade Grant and ECO+.
Business will now be separated from energy, with a new Department for Business and Trade, with Kemi Badenoch being appointed the Secretary of State – Badenoch was formerly Secretary for the Department of International Trade which has now been merged into this new department. The prime minister has also formed a new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), with Michelle Donelan moving from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to head this department. DCMS has lost its digital remit – which has moved over to DSIT – and is now the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Former housing minister, Lucy Frazer, has been appointed Secretary of State for this department.
Greg Hands has been appointed as the new chairman of the Conservative party, replacing Nadhim Zahawi who was sacked following inquiry findings that he breached ministerial rules over his tax affairs.
Rachel Maclean, MP for Redditch, has been appointed as the new housing minister, the sixth in 12 months. Maclean has previously been a parliamentary private secretary to Sajid Javid when he was Chancellor and was a junior minister in the Department for Transport and the Home Office. She has also previously sat on the BEIS Committee. On Monday 27th February, our Chief Executive Tracy Harrison, and Director of Policy & Public Affairs, Brian Robson, met with the new housing minister to outline the priorities for housing in the North, highlight the work of the NHC and our members and to explore how the NHC and DLUHC can continue to work together on the issues facing the North.
See the full list of ministerial appointments here.
