Matthew Pennycook has been confirmed as Labour’s housing minister – this follows on from Angela Rayner’s appointment as Housing Secretary and Deputy Leader on 5 June.

Pennycook won a huge majority in his Greenwich and Woolwich constituency beating his nearest rival by 18,366. He has said following his appointment: “It is a real honour to have been appointed Minister of State at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

“Tackling the housing crisis and boosting economic growth is integral to national renewal. Time to get to work.”

Commenting on the appointment Propertymark chief executive Nathan Emerson said:

“Propertymark welcomes the appointment of Matthew Pennycook as Housing Minister within the newly formed cabinet. Housing must play a pivotal role for the government moving forwards and in real terms, delivering over 1,100 new homes every single working day for the next five years will take immense planning and enormous stakeholder engagement to achieve.”

Housing policy commitment

“There needs to be a long-term cross-party approach with continuity built in as standard – we should never be looking at a housing plan as an insular five year government term, in case of any change down the line.”

Emerson insisted the housing sector was  crying out for a vastly increased supply to keep pace with demand, and there simply could be no room for error moving forwards or we may end up with prices artificially rocketing due to consumer desperation in finding a suitable home for their needs.

He added: “There must be a broad mix of sustainably built homes that brings much needed stock to both buyers and renters. The plan must be delivered with precision and in a way that is connected with wider government planning to ensure key infrastructure is provisioned for as the population further grows.”