Rachel Maclean, the Government's 15th housing minister since 2010, fell victim to the Prime Minister's latest cabinet reshuffle yesterday. Maclean, who had only been in the role since February of this year, made clear in her statement published on X that she was disappointed to have been asked to step down. 

Also disappointed will be those interested in the work of the Older People's Housing Taskforce. According to the chief executive of the British Property Federation, this lack of continuity in personnel “is a significant concern and actively undermines investment and long-term commitment across the sector”. 

Maclean is succeeded by Lee Rowley, who has already briefly served as Housing Minister under Liz Truss in 2022. With a significant workload to tackle, it remains to be seen whether this appointment will be “second time lucky” for Rowley, or if the Prime Minister's latest cabinet reshuffle amounts to little more than rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic.