Levelling up secretary to stand down as MP

Levelling up secretary Michael Gove will not stand at the next election, leaving his role in the housing department after July 4.

In a letter, posted on X (formerly Twitter), Gove, a veteran MP who has had two stints as levelling up secretary, wrote that the “chance to serve” [as an MP] is wonderful. But there comes a moment where you know that it is time to leave. That a new generation should lead".

He stated his achievements at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), including, he wrote, building 1 million new homes “in this parliament” and introducing “the most wide-ranging reforms to leasehold”.

Leasehold reforms became law as the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act on May 24, making it easier and cheaper, DLUHC said, for leaseholders to buy their freehold.

The industry has experienced a difficult relationship with Gove, MP for Surrey Heath, due to his tough approach to building safety - culminating in the Building Safety Pledge - and controversial revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

Gove, first elected MP for Surrey Heath in 2005, was levelling up secretary between September 2021 to July 2022, …