Estate agency founder Kevin Hollinrake appointed shadow housing secretary

Kevin Hollinrake has been appointed shadow secretary of state for housing, communities and local government.

Hollinrake, elected as MP for Thirsk and Malton in 2015, was appointed to the role as new Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch announced her full shadow cabinet.

Hollinrake was the chair of estate agent Hunters until 2021. The firm, which he founded with John Waterhouse in York in 1992, now has more than 200 branches across the UK. He has been promoted from shadow secretary of state for business of trade, Badenoch’s former government role, which he had held since July.

Hollinrake in August criticised the new Labour government’s planning proposals to lower targets in London and increase building on green belt land classed as “grey belt”.

He posted on Facebook: ”Labour’s cynical and flawed approach to increasing housing supply - reduce housebuilding in cities and stick them all in rural areas.”

Hollinrake has also said Labour’s plan to end ‘no fault’ section 21 evictions in the private rented sector could have “unintended consequences”. He told parliament last month: ”I think these measures would lead to a reduction in supply, which is ultimately massively counterproductive for tenants.”

In other appointments, Badenoch appointed former work and pensions secretary  Mel Stride as shadow chancellor, replacing incumbent and former chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

Badenoch has also appointed Gareth Bacon, the former leader of the Conservative party in the Greater London Authority, as shadow secretary of state for transport.

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Bacon was elected in 2019 and previously served as under secretary of state for sentencing at the Ministry of Justice in Sunak’s government.

Claire Coutinho, the former secretary of state for energy security and net zero, held onto her brief in opposition and has now been kept in the role by Badenoch.

Coutinho has been a vocal critic of Labour’s plans to decarbonise the UK’s electricity grid by 2030, describing the target as “mad, bad and dangerous” during the 2024 general election.

She has named former secretary of state for work and pensions Mel Stride as shadow chancellor, replacing incumbent and former chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

Badenoch’s other appointments include Chris Philp, former chief secretary to the Treasury under Liz Truss, as shadow home secretary and former home secretary Priti Patel as shadow foreign secretary.

The new Tory leader won 56.5% of party members’ votes on Saturday, beating former secretary of state for housing, communities and local government Robert Jenrick.

Badenoch is seen by many in the party as a protege of former communities secretary Michael Gove, who she forged links with while working together in the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

She later served as minister of state for equalities, and has been outspoken on a wide range of ‘culture wars’ issues including shared mix-sex toilets, which the government proposed to ban earlier this year.