The new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has appointed Michael Gove as Secretary of State for Leveling Up, Housing and Communities, marking a return to the role.
He has also been given the role of minister for intergovernmental relations. He will lead coordination with devolved administrations on the Prime Minister’s behalf, including England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Gove was previously Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities between September last year and July this year but was fired by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier this year amid a wave of resignations.
At the time he was the fourth Secretary of State for the department since 2015 and since his departure there have been three more. This includes Marcus Jones, Greg Clark and Simon Clarke.
During his time at the department, he partially oversaw the Building Safety Bill, called on the Financial Conduct Authority to investigation the building insurance market for high-risk leaseholders and sent out contracts for cladding remediation to developers.
Gove previously held roles as the minister for the Cabinet Office from 2020 to 2021 and before he was the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster between 2019 and 2021.
He has also been Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for around two years, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice for around a year, Chief Whip for around a year and Secretary of State for Education for around four years.
Gove was elected Conservative MP for Surrey Heath in 2005.
Anna is currently the deputy editor for Mortgage Solutions and editor for Specialist Lending Solutions. She has worked as a journalist since 2019, having secured her Gold Standard NCTJ diploma from News Associates in a fast-track six-month course.
She started her career as a report at specialist publication The Insurance Insider covering a wide range of areas before joining Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions in 2021.
In her role, she helps put together and structure the news agenda for the day and writes up press releases, reports, interviews, analyses and exclusives across both titles. She also commissions blogs for Specialist Lending Solutions and hosts online masterclasses and in-person events across the business.
She has been shortlisted for three journalism awards, which include BIBA Journalist and Media Awards Scoop of Year Award in 2020, Headline Money Mortgage Journalist of the Year Award (B2B) in 2022 and 2023.
Prior to being a journalist, Anna worked in ecommerce across Snow + Rock, Cycle Surgery and Runners Need websites, and before that worked at specialist financial PR firm Rostrum.
In her spare time, Anna enjoys reading, seeing live music, and cooking for friends and family. When she gets a chance, she also enjoys hiking, skiing and indoor rock climbing.
