Will Michael Gove’s new cabinet role put ‘meat on the bones’ of the ‘levelling-up’ agenda?

Michael Gove has been given the task of solving the UK’s housing crisis and defining the government’s “levelling-up” agenda after being shuffled into a new role in Boris Johnson’s cabinet.

He replaced Robert Jenrick as secretary of state at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in what many have suggested is a “sideways move” from his cabinet role as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the BBC said.

But the responsibilities of the position serve as a “clear sign of the prime minister’s faith” in his former Tory leadership rival, the broadcaster added, noting that he will also retain his responsibilities for preserving the union and election planning.

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To underline the significance of Gove’s appointment, his department is expected to be renamed to reflect its strengthened role in delivering not only the government’s pledges on housing reform and building regulations but also its “levelling up” agenda, an as yet loosely defined policy aimed at reducing the UK’s regional inequalities.

“Levelling up” has long been criticised for being “too vague” and lacking in a clear strategy, said BBC political correspondent Alex Forsyth. But the appointment of a senior government figure like Gove will “boost its profile, give it political clout and put some meat on the bones”.

And it will be “through the prism of levelling up” that he is judged in the northern regions, said The Yorkshire Post.

The challenge facing the prime minister’s new top team is to “bring about the joined-up government, and clarity of purpose, that has held back the country – and levelling up agenda – for too long”, the paper added.

In many ways, the appointment is a good sign for those awaiting the first steps of the government’s key 2019 pledge, as Gove has a “reputation for getting things done” while serving in cabinet, said Chris Lloyd, chief features writer at The Northern Echo.

It shows that “levelling up” is a government priority, Lloyd added, suggesting that it would have shown the government has “real serious intent” on levelling-up outside the south-east “if he had become a full-time minister for the north to make real progress before the political bandwagon moves on to other pressing concerns”.

James Forsyth in The Times said: “As long as the policy remains ambiguous there will be limits to what ‘levelling up’ can achieve.” He added that “if it tries to do everything, it will end up achieving nothing”.

The policies that define the plan should be more tightly focused on “driving economic growth in the regions and devolving power down – such as the ability to vary taxes, including perhaps local VAT rates”, Forsyth, The Spectator's political editor, continued.

Local mayors should also be empowered, he added, suggesting that “mayors not only provide someone who can act as a focal point for the region – just look at Teesside and the success of Ben Houchen – but also understand the needs of voters better”.

With regards to housing, Gove is generally seen as a “natural supporter of planning reform and supplyism”, said Jules Birch in Inside Housing. But the “mood music” suggests that the decision has already been taken to dilute his predecessor’s controversial planning reforms in the face of objections from Conservative MPs.

Gove has a lot on his plate in the new role, the magazine added, suggesting that policies such as housebuilding could fall off the radar of his busy portfolio as “he looks to define and then implement the prime minister’s ‘levelling-up’ agenda and defend the union”.