Croydon MP named housing minister

Gavin Barwell, 44, has been MP for Croydon Central since 2010.

A party apparatchik, he was previously chief operating officer of the Conservative Party and a Croydon borough councillor.

In his new role as minister of state for housing and planning at the Department for Communities & Local Government, he will be responsible for housing, planning policy, neighbourhood planning, and planning casework. He is also minister for London and will be lead minister on the Housing Bill. He replaces Brandon Lewis, who has moved to the Home Office as minister of state for policing and the fire service.

He reports to the new DCLG secretary of state Sajid Javid, who was previously business secretary.

On his appointment, Mr Barwell tweeted: “Look forward to working with councils, housing associations, developers & investors to ensure we build the homes people need and deserve.”

Meanwhile, over at the Department for Transport, loquacious South Holland MP John Hayes, returns to the post he held between July 2014 and the 2015 general election. Once again minister of state at the Department for Transport, he reports to new secretary of state Chris Grayling, a Brexiteer who was previously leader of the House of Commons.

The junior ministerial team at the Department for Transport is made up of Paul Maynard (Blackpool North & Cleveleys), Andrew Jones (Harrogate & Knaresborough) and Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (elected by no one) as parliamentary under secretaries of state.

Yorkshireman Andrew Jones, a DfT minister since the 2015 general election, retains responsibility for roads, and ‘the Northern Powerhouse’.

Paul Maynard becomes rail minister, replacing Claire Perry, who quit in frustration at government's inability to improve shambolic rail services.

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