Will Homes England’s Ed Lister stick with Boris Johnson?

Speculation is mounting that Sir Ed Lister, chair of Homes England, may stick with Boris Johnson after helping with the Uxbridge MP’s boisterous campaign to get the keys to Number 10.

Lister (pictured) took a leave of absence from heading the government’s housing delivery agency in order to work on Johnson’s campaign, which was today revealed to have been a runaway success, the former Foreign Secretary receiving 66% of the vote among those Conservative members who took part in the leadership – and by default prime ministerial –election.

Lister, who has chaired Homes England for the past three years, has been replaced – at least on a temporary basis – by Simon Dudley, who already sits on Homes England’s board.

While the campaign saw Johnson romp into Downing Street the next prime minister has yet to divulge the identity of his team.

But Lister’s relationship with Johnson goes back a long way, acting as his chief of staff when the new prime minister was London mayor, and the Spectator recently conjectured that he might take on the same role in Number 10.

Speaking to Housing Today Andrew Boff, housing spokesman for the Conservatives in the Greater London Assembly, said Lister had a great reputation for pushing forward developments and that if Johnson set him a target to deliver a certain number of homes that goal would be met.

“Ed was an excellent chief of staff during Boris’s time as London mayor and has proved ambitious in terms of developing land for housing,” said Boff.

“My concern would be around the typology of the houses that might be pushed for. Ed does like high rise schemes and large-scale developments, and the subject was the only time I had a run-in with him at City Hall.

“That said he’s very effective, and if Boris set him a target he’d deliver,” Boff added.