Rayner returns as housing secretary
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced his cabinet, with Angela Rayner set to lead the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government for a second time and Matthew Pennycook to remain as housing minister.
- READ MORE: The big ask for Burnham
Rayner had previously held the post from July 2024 until she resigned in September 2025 following the discovery that she had underpaid stamp duty on an apartment in Hove.
She settled with HMRC in May of this year without having to pay a penalty, which would have been necessary if she had deliberately or carelessly failed to pay the tax.
Rayner replaces Steve Reed as secretary of state. In the past five years, the title of housing secretary has changed hands seven times.
While Rayner did not coin the phrase “Build, baby, build”, she was highly regarded as leading the government’s pro-development movement during her first stint in the office.
This included committing £100m in accelerator loans for SME housebuilders, introducing the concept of Grey Belt, shaking up the planning system with the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, and the setting of the 1.5m new homes target.
Rayner said on social media that she was “delighted” to take on the housing secretary role one again.
“I look forward to returning to government with renewed drive and determination to put power back in people’s hands – and hope back in our hearts,” she posted.
I am delighted to have accepted the position of Secretary of State at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Andy Burnham’s vision of good growth in every postcode demands we build on the foundations we have already laid to bring the change we have…
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) July 20, 2026
Rayner is the MP for Ashton under Lyne. She is one of 12 Northern MPs, and four from Greater Manchester, to claim a spot on Burnham’s cabinet.
Her fellow Greater Manchester MPs in Cabinet are:
- Business and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds, MP for Stalybridge and Hyde
- Culture secretary Lisa Nandy, MP for Wigan
- Education secretary Lucy Powell, MP for Manchester Central
Merseyside MPs have two spots in Cabinet: chief whip Anneliese Midgley is the MP for Knowsley and environment secretary Angela Eagles is the MP for Wallasey.
North Eastern MPs also have two spots: Leader of the Commons Alan Campbell is the MP for Tynemouth and equalities minister Bridget Phillipson is the MP for Houghton and Sunderland South.
There are four Cabinet members from Yorkshire. They are:
- Chancellor John Healey, MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough
- Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Louise Haigh, MP for Sheffield Heeley
- Foreign secretary Ed Miliband, MP for Doncaster North
- Health secretary Yvette Cooper, MP for Pontefract, Castleford, and Knottingley
There are three Midlands MPs in Cabinet as well:
- Home secretary Shabana Mahmood, MP for Birmingham Ladywood
- Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden, MP for Wolverhampton South East
- Intergovernmental relations minister Hamis Falconer, MP for Lincoln
The remaining cabinet members represent constituencies in the South of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
I hope she understands the relative tax requirements when owning houses! The irony! Poor decisions by her in the past, compounded by a poor decision by Burnham to bring someone back who at best is unorganised and at worst a lying tax dodger.
By Dan H
Ha ha , the papers will make much of that , irony indeed !
By Anonymous
You couldn’t make it up
By Anonymous
Oh no!
By Idi
Failing to pay the correct tax on a house doesn’t compare with taking £5 million from a crypto billionaire.
By Anonymous
Constantly having housing ministers who have no professional background in the industry is a disaster.
By John W
Result. massive overdevelopment on the Green Belt throughout the uk. Extremely short sighted.
By Anonymous
Absolutely ridiculous
By Andy
There were originally concerns about this appointment given the individual’s previous track record in the role and now they real concerns. Critics point to un-met housing targets during their previous tenure and question whether current objectives can realistically be achieved. Recent tax-related issues for this person have also added to the scrutiny. The situation has also reignited debate about whether appointments should always be based on relevant experience and expertise. However, that would preclude most of our current crop of wanna-be’s as most are professional politicians.
By Steve5839
Back to the job she was failing in to start with.
If they knew they couldn’t build 300k houses a year they were lying.
If they didn’t know they couldn’t build 300k houses a year, they were incompetant.
By Anonymous
Either didn’t know how property tax worked or is a tax cheat. Either way not fit for the post
By Bob
Rayner and highly regarded in the same sentence, really?!
By The Blob
Constantly having housing ministers who have no professional background in the industry is a disaster.
July 21, 2026 at 10:01 am
By John W
Could literally say that about any minister, of any department, in any government
By MJC
Dear oh dear. All that disruption and change to end up back in the same place.
What a shambles we’ve become.
By Anonymous
A lot of doom and gloom on here. Good luck to her. I hope they make some good progress over the next 3 years and build more decent genuinely affordable homes aka council / social rent homes.
By Anonymous
Good to see her back . She made a good start on housing .
By Wislon
John W – does the mister for Health need to be an ex-doctor or minister of Defence an ex-general or the minister of transport an ex-bus driver? All minister rely on their civil servants for experts advice.
By Anonymous
Marmite. The target is unachievable and the market needs stimulus.Let’s get realistic,ditch the soudbites and get on with ways to deliver.There’ll be no SME housebuilders left at this rate and a few of the corporates are looking a bit shaky given recent results.
By Max Homes
Jobs for the boys Andy? And girls! Surely someone in government has some background in housing?
By Salford Red
Why all the negativity? She made a good start.
By Peter Black
Thought we had got rid of this clueless two faced Politician for good ! ! !
V alarmed therefor to see this totally unqualified individual in the Property Industry responsible again for our Country s housing giving her the opportunity to push thro her spiteful class views at the expense of what is best for the Industry ! !
By Harry
As bad as she is , she’s not the worst of them ! Check out a search on the ‘problems’ with some of the other appointments..you couldn’t make it up!
By Anonymous
Great to see her back in Government, she gets things done.
By Anonymous
Andy has a great sense of irony. Rayner at housing and Miliband spending most of the week, on a plane. What next Diane Abbott at the Treasury?
By Elephant
I hope they keep her. She’s beyond Marmite and one of the main reasons Labour will be gone again come the elections.
By Anonymous
Anonymous 6.17 pm, you say she will be one of the reasons why Labour will be gone again at the next election. I’d back Angela Rayner to batter both Farage and Kemi in one on one debates.
By Anonymous
After the stamp duty debacle? Any chance we’ll all avoid paying it now Angela?
By BuildaBear