Jenrick has been MP for Newark since 2014 and has headed up the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) since July 2019.
Jenrick took to Twitter to announce his leaving of the role.
It’s been a huge privilege to serve as Secretary of State @mhclg. Thank you to everyone at the department for their hard work, dedication and friendship. I’m deeply proud of all we achieved.
I will continue to support the Prime Minister and the Government in every way I can.
— Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) September 15, 2021
However, his time at the MHCLG has not been without controversy.
In May last year, Jenrick accepted that his approval of a £1bn luxury housing development on Westferry Road, Isle of Dogs had been unlawful.
Jenrick maintained that although the decision was unlawful there was no “actual bias” in his decision despite the developer being a Tory party donor.
He has also been widely criticised for his handling of the cladding crisis.
The reshuffle started this afternoon with Education Secretary Gavin Barwell losing his position.
At the time of publication Christopher Pincher remains in his role as Housing Minister.
Kate Davies, executive director of IMLA, said: “Once again, we are to have another new housing secretary, in this case a fourth in as many years. It also means we will have had twenty housing ministers since the turn of the century.
“This carousel of new ministers undoubtedly undermines the need for a long-term housing strategy and the government’s efforts to tackle the chronic undersupply of suitable housing in this country.
“A procession of housing ministers have promised to deliver thousands of new homes every year, but each has moved on or been removed, leaving it to their successors to make the same promises only a few years or months later.
“The government must take seriously its commitment to build a better future for coming generations and to do this, we need a coherent and long-term housing strategy.
“In the wake of the crisis, now is as good a time as any to put in place an independent housing body, which can take a longer-term view of where we need to be and how we can get there, without being constantly undermined and subjected to party political ping-pong.
“Our system of government inevitably leads to short-term administrations, and even shorter-term tenure by successive ministers. We wish the new minister well in his role – but it’s very difficult to see how he is going to make a real difference, where so many others have failed to do so.”
