Frazer’s promotion to culture secretary means industry in line for sixth housing minister in 12 months

Lucy Frazer is to leave the housing minister job having served just 102 days in the role after being named the new culture secretary in this morning’s cabinet reshuffle.

The promotion for Frazer to the culture brief means the next person appointed to the role will then become the sixth person to hold the post in just the last year alone.

lucy frazer

Lucy Frazer was in post for just 102 days

Frazer was named minister of state at Michael Gove’s Levelling Up, Housing and Communities department on October 28 last year, shortly after Gove’s appointment was confirmed as taking on the housing brief and after an initial confusion over her responsibilities.

Frazer’s brief tenure in office has seen her successfully pilot the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill through its controversial final stages in the House of Commons, and notably take decisions to extend the deadline for homes bought under the Help to Buy scheme to achieve practical completion.

Her promotion by prime minister Rishi Sunak is likely to be met with disappointment from the industry, given ongoing frustration over the quick turnaround of ministers.

Frazer is one of five people to have fulfilled the role of housing minister in the last 12 months, given the political turmoil at Westminster. Her four predecessors are Chris Pincher, who was reshuffled out of the role a year ago tomorrow, followed by Stuart Andrew, who lasted until 6 July, then Marcus Jones who stayed until the Truss administration began on 7 September with the appointment of Lee Rowley to the brief.

The appointment of Frazer to her new job was confirmed by No.10, which announced the move on Twitter, saying: “The Rt Hon Lucy Frazer @lucyfrazermp has been appointed Secretary of State in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.”

Frazer’s appointment comes amid a big reshuffle of the shape of government departments themselves, with the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and International Trade departments reorganised into three separate departments: the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; and the Department for Business and Trade.

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