Jack Dromey becomes Labour's shadow housing minister

Jack Dromey has replaced Alison Seabeck as shadow housing minister after Ed Miliband shuffled his shadow cabinet.

Seabeck, who has impressed in her role with the housing brief, moves to shadow defence minister.

When in office, Labour constantly changed its housing ministers, with some of them lasting a matter of just months in the role. One of those ministers, Caroline Flint, has also been moved in Miliband’s shadow cabinet reshuffle, from being shadow communities secretary to shadow energy secretary. She is replaced as shadow communities secretary by Hilary Benn.

Dromey is married to Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman and was secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union. He is MP for Erdington, Birmingham.

Formerly shadow planning minister, he is a fierce critic of the Government’s planning reforms, arguing that the framework does not support affordable housing.

Dromey said of his new role: “I am delighted to be appointed by Ed Miliband to be Labour’s shadow minister for housing. We will be holding the Government to account over its abject failure to tackle the growing housing crisis, with collapsing house building the direct consequence of its failed economic and planning policies.



“I look forward, together with Ed and Hilary Benn, to setting out Labour’s housing vision for the future, a decent home for all at a price everyone can afford.”