Labour MP Matthew Pennycook has been named as the principal housing minister in the new government.

He was shadow housing minister when Labour was in opposition.

One of his early tasks will be proposing the Labour version of the Renters Reform Bill.
When the announcement was made he tweeted: “It is a real honour to have been appointed Minister of State at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Tackling the housing crisis and boosting economic growth is integral to national renewal. Time to get to work.”

A senior figure at activist group Generation Rent, Dan Wilson Craw, tweeted in response, and on first name terms: “Congratulations Matt! We at Generation Rent look forward to working with you on getting tenancy reform done and making renting fairer.”

Before Parliament he worked at the think tank the Resolution Foundation, was an aide to veteran Labour MP and housing expert Karen Buck, and he is MP for Greenwich and Woolwich, the constituency once held by the respected ex-housing minister Nick Raynsford.