One-time housing minister Mark Prisk is standing down as an MP after 18 years.
His decision was announced yesterday, shortly before controversial John Bercow announced he is quitting as Speaker.
Prisk has told his local Conservative association that he will not seek re-election at the next General Election.
Prisk said: “The decision is personal and is not in reaction to Brexit. At 57 I feel now is the time for me to move on the next phase of my life and a new career.”
Prisk, a chartered surveyor who worked for Knight Frank, said that increasing his share of the vote at every re-election gave him “confidence that my constituents felt I was doing my job properly”.
Prisk, who represents Hertford and Stortford, was on paper the best qualified housing minister of all.
However, he lasted for just 13 months and was removed in a cabinet reshuffle.
He confirmed on Twitter that he had been asked “to step aside from Housing for a younger generation”.
In fact his successor Kris Hopkins was only one year younger.
Gavin Barwell, today given a peerage in Theresa May’s resignation honours, also lasted 13 months in the role.
As a handy reminder of those we haven’t so much loved and lost as barely got to know their names, here is the updated list of housing ministers since the Tories returned to power – the rate of attrition is roughly one a year:
July 2019 – ? Esther McVey
July 2018 – July 2019 Kit Malthouse
Jan 2018 – July 2018 Dominic Raab
June 2017 – Jan 2018 Alok Sharma
July 2016 – June 2017 Gavin Barwell
July 2014 – July 2016 Brandon Lewis
Oct 2013 – July 2014 Kris Hopkins
Sept 2012 – Oct 2013 Mark Prisk
May 2010 – Sept 2012 Grant Shapps
Comments (8)
Peter Snow’s swingometer years ago clearly defined position of each political party at opposite ends of the street but after Mrs T was stabbed in the back from within, the Conservatives never seemed to recover from in-fighting and why Blair got in with Americans idea of statisticians and spin until the public got wise, but too late and we were bankrupted.
UK politics has been corrupted by the media, some of us are old enough to remember the satire “Yes Prime Minister”. Political parties play the Swingometer number crunching game these days. The next general election should be an eye opener as many MP’s are elected because of the party manifesto or leader, not the individual?
That question-mark after Esther McVey can be changed to a almost reliable ‘November 2019’.
Blimey… we once had a Housing Minister who actually knew something about the industry and how its’ cogs turn?
Now that IS NEWS!
Actually, looking at that list, you can see that the only qualification required for becoming Housing Minister is a slavish adherence to ‘The Party Line’ and an ability to argue through thick and thin that everything is absolutely rosy and that black is white – in the face of extensive evidence to the contrary.
Yes, McVey, Raab, Sharma, Barwell, Shapps and Lewis (especially you) I mean you. What a shower,
Case proved. Barwell has just been given a peerage by Theresa May. Nurse! where are my blood pressure pills?
Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck seem to be missing from the list of housing ministers.
It’s their turn next.
If labour get in it will be Donald Ducked for sure.