James Brokenshire and Robert Jenrick
James Brokenshire has been ousted as homes and communities secretary as incoming prime minister Boris Johnson purged the cabinet and installed a host of new faces.
Brokenshire has been replaced by former treasury minister Robert Jenrick, MP for Newark.
He takes over responsibility for overseeing a host of construction-related areas at the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), including the department’s Building Safety Programme, established to ensure that residents of high-rise buildings are safe in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster.
The department is also instrumental in setting out the government’s proposals, which are now out for consultation, for implementing the recommendations made in Dame Judith Hackitt’s independent review of Building Regulations and fire safety.
Brokenshire tweeted that he was “looking forward to being released from collective responsibility” and campaigning on issues that matter to him.
After 13 years service on the front bench including 9 in Government will be heading to the backbenches. Has been a huge privilege to serve, but looking forward to being released from collective responsibility and campaigning on issues that matter to me and my constituents.
— James Brokenshire (@JBrokenshire) July 24, 2019
In addition to Brokenshire’s removal, there was also change at the Department for Transport, where Chris Grayling and replaced by former international development minister Grant Shapps.
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Brokenshire was simply the latest minister to force ill-considered and illogical practice on to the industry in pursuit of political ends. Though he went further than most by using the same conference speech to change the fundamental nature of Doc B in mandating a ban on certain thermally efficient, lightweight, space-saving materials above 18m, and simultaneously declaring we could build ‘up, not out’.
Will the next one be any better? Really, this side of nationalisation, could the next one be much worse?
Massive mistake by new PM Boris Johnson not to keep James Brokenshire in post..
The turnover of ministers responsible for this Department which includes responsibility for housing and responsibility for building regulations has already been inexcusably high since 2015.
They just don’t get it. Legislation affecting construction matters to investment and efficiency in the economy and to the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone individually and planet-wide living and working in the built environment.
At last with James Brokenshire we had someone who was really getting his teeth into the job at this critical time with the consultation deadline at the end of this month. I think he was good.