Michael Gove made a rather surprising return to the cabinet in Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle. Just two months after announcing plans to quit politics.
Gove returns to cabinet as the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary. The post Boris Johnson sacked him from in early July.
The move comes after Rishi Sunak stressed his commitment to the troubled levelling up agenda.
Gove replaces Simon Clarke, who resigned yesterday after just seven weeks in the job. Sunak was widely expected to give Clarke his marching orders had he not quit the post.
Gove’s return has been welcomed by Propertymark.
Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said: “Michael Gove will be able to hit the ground running. And we look forward to working with him again. The property industry is a critical partner on levelling-up. And by unlocking investment we can deliver the changes we need to see in our communities. Up and down the country.
“This summer we lost vital time on delivering on the Government’s agenda. And urgently need a consistent and steady hand on the key issues of the day. Housing supply, regeneration and net zero. Which are all critical to the UK’s growth ambitions and international competitiveness.”
