Boris Johnson has appointed England's 11th housing minister in just 12 years - and he is a landlord who voted down a bid to make all rented homes "fit for human habitation".
Deputy Chief Whip Stuart Andrew was today moved to Housing Minister in Boris Johnson's mini-reshuffle as part of a clearout of the whips' office.
The current Housing Minister, Chris Pincher, was shunted aside. Until now he'd been the longest-serving Housing Minister for more than a decade, with two years' service.
Housing campaigners have previously reacted with dismay at the constant churn of different ministers while England faces a housing crisis.
Mr Andrew faces a bitter battle with the Tory grassroots as he and Housing Secretary Michael Gove rework controversial plans to tear up the planning system. Mr Gove shelved the plans to split areas into development loans and they're being examined again.
He will be in charge of meeting the target to build 300,000 homes a year. A post on Mr Andrew's website declares "Save Our Greenbelt", opposing a plan for 70,000 houses in the next 16 years in and around Leeds.
Meanwhile, it quickly resurfaced that Mr Andrew voted against a legal bid to make all rented homes "fit for human habitation".
The amendment to the Housing and Planning Bill was voted down 312-219 on 12 January 2016 in a major row.
Tory ministers said the amendment would cause "unnecessary regulation and cost to landlords", and councils "already have strong and effective powers" to police poor-quality homes.
Minister Marcus Jones said at the time that it would "deter further investment and push up rents for tenants.
"Of course we believe that all homes should be of a decent standard, and that all tenants should have a safe place in which to live regardless of tenure.
"But local authorities already have strong and effective powers to deal with poor quality and unsafe accommodation, and we expect them to use them."
But Labour's Teresa Pearce said at the time: "Although it is true that the majority of properties are safe and fit to live in, it is unacceptable that, in 2016, we still have people up and down the country living in properties unfit for human habitation.
"This clause would change the lives of many tenants and provide a more robust, secure and safe private rented sector, which surely we all desire."
It later emerged 72 of the Tory MPs who voted down the amendment were also landlords.
Pudsey MP Mr Andrew owns a house in nearby Leeds which brings in more than £10,000 a year in rental income.
It comes after Jacob Rees Mogg was sacked as Commons leader and made Brexit minister as Boris Johnson launched a mini-reshuffle to distract from weeks of Tory chaos and scandal.
The Prime Minister is reshaping his top team after being deserted by a series of No10 aides and the Met Police launching an investigation into 12 rule-busting parties in Downing Street during lockdown.
Arch-Eurosceptic Mr Rees-Mogg's full title will be Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiencies and he will be a member of Cabinet.
Meanwhile, Chief Whip Mark Spencer replaces Mr Rees Mogg as Commons leader and Tory MP Chris Heaton-Harris will head the whips office.
Mr Spencer has kept his seat at the Cabinet table, however, despite weeks of criticism over the top Tory's handling of the Owen Paterson lobbying row.
