The private rented sector has a new champion in the form of James Cleverly, who has been appointed shadow secretary for housing, communities and local government and who, LandlordZONE can reveal, has been a landlordin the past.
Cleverly, who last year was cast into the political wilderness after losing the most recent Conservative leadership race to Kemi Badenoch, has now been brough back into the shadow cabinet fold.
He has come out fighting immediately, commenting that: “This Labour government is totally failing the country, and the capital, on housing – and under Kemi’s leadership, I am ready to lead the fight against this failure".
The MP for Braintree replaces shadow housing minister Kevin Hollinrake, who is also a landlord but also a former estate agent and who moves on to become the Conservative Party Chairman in charge of its day-to-day running and re-election strategy.
Cleverly's parliamentary register of interest shows he owned a house in Lewisham, South London, jointly with his wife and which, it says, produced a rental income over £10,000 a year until at least 2021.
He has voted during several stages of the Renters’ Reform Bill as it has been moving through parliament including in January when he voted against it including opposing one important Labour amendment.
This amendment, introduced and voted through in January this year, effectively bans agents and landlords from asking for ‘rent upfront’.
While in Government, he previously served as Home Secretary from November 2023 to July 2024 and as Foreign Secretary from 2022 to 2023.
Cleverly gave a rare insight into his political aims, saying a tweet yesterday: “When taking a position of leadership the question one should ask oneself is “do I want to be something, or do I want to do something?”.
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