Michael Gove returns to level up

Michael Gove has returned to the post of levelling up secretary. As new prime minister Rishi Sunak assembled his first cabinet, Gove was called to 10 Downing Street, arriving at around 3.45pm. He stayed there for more than two hours before an announcement was made, prompting speculation that some significant negotiation was involved. Levelling up was among the last cabinet level positions to be allocated. As well as regaining the title of secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, Gove has also been appointed minister for intergovernmental relations. In his nine months in the role, Gove moved the policy from white paper to bill stage and introduced the building safety levy for housebuilders. The MP for Surrey Heath was fired by Boris Johnson in July for “disloyalty”, a day before Johnson himself announced his resignation. Since then the levelling up post has been held by Greg Clark, for eight weeks, and Simon Clarke for seven weeks. However, a number of Gove’s planned reforms, including a shake-up of the planning system and streamlining the number of levelling up funding pots, remained incomplete. While previously at the helm of the department, he frequently locked horns over funding for the levelling up agenda. Sources said Gove had returned to the department to “finish the job”, although others suggested he had been holding out for health secretary. Melanie Leech, chief executive at 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.” Some in Westminster thought Clarke would remain as levelling up secretary, but the Liz Truss loyalist announced he had resigned as the cabinet reshuffle got underway. He had served in the post for just 49 days, less time even than his predecessor Clark, who, like Gove, had held the post before. Clarke was previously chief secretary to the Treasury under Sunak when he was chancellor. In his first speech as prime minister, Sunak said he would “fix the mistakes” that had been made by Truss as prime minister. He added that he was committed to “levelling up and building an economy that embraces the opportunities of Brexit, where businesses invest, innovate and create jobs”. The comment has been interpreted not just as a commitment to levelling up, but also an indication that investment zones may go ahead in some form. In other moves, Grant Shapps was appointed business secretary and Therese Coffey was named secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs. Jeremy Hunt has remained as chancellor. To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews   Photo © Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock