One year in Westminster: the MPs from housing

Andrew Lewin, Labour, Welwyn Hatfield

What’s the housing connection? Andrew Lewin spent seven years at Clarion, the UK’s largest housing association, first as head of external communications and then director of communications from 2021.

Notable housing activities in parliament: In his maiden speech, Mr Lewin brought up Queensway House, a council-owned tower block in Hatfield that is still standing despite being declared unsafe and slated for demolition five years ago. He is a member of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, and chair of the APPG on New Towns.

Outside the world of housing? A “passionate pro-European”, he is chair of the UK Trade and Business Commission, which continues to push the government for closer ties to the European Union, including a visa-based youth mobility scheme.

And now? “It does take a while to find your feet,” Mr Lewin says of his first few months as an MP, but “I feel like I now have the space to make sure I’m intervening on the issues that really matter to me. And of course, housing is very near the top of that list.”

Mr Lewin unseated Grant Shapps, a name familiar to Inside Housing readers from his time as Conservative housing minister and later defence secretary. We “shouldn’t understate” how much the Labour government has achieved already, Mr Lewin argues, not least on renters’ rights and planning reforms that will boost economic growth, but “we’ve got to keep up the pace”.

“There’s a huge lag, given the time it takes to build a home in this country, from where you’ve made investments to people seeing homes being built and thinking, ‘Oh, wow, I might actually have a shot at a starter home in my patch.’”

Mr Lewin spent almost a decade in consulting before he joined Clarion “to put my energies into a sector that I really believed in”. He says there are parallels between making residents feel valued as a landlord and interacting with constituents – especially ensuring “that every part of the community is listened to, not just those who are typically more vocal”.

“I really do love the door-knocking part”, he says. For some people he meets, “It’s never crossed their mind that they could talk to an MP and raise a question with me, and there are absolutely parallels with the housing sector. You have to go out and find and understand your residents… and not just assume they will come to you.”

Landlords should arrange to meet MPs on Fridays when they are in their constituencies, he says. “You know, I’ve not had as many invites to walk-arounds on estates as I might have expected as a local MP. I’m up
for doing more of those.”

Gideon Amos, Liberal Democrats, Taunton and Wellington

What’s the housing connection? Gideon Amos is the former chief executive of the Town and Country Planning Association. He was also a board member at Swan Housing and has worked in local government and at the Planning Inspectorate. 

Notable housing activities in parliament: He is the Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson and has made many contributions to debates on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. He is also vice-chair of the APPG on Healthy Homes and Buildings.

Outside the world of housing? Mr Amos is vice-chair of the APPG for Students.

And now? “I set up my own small registered provider, and have done some housebuilding myself. But my main career has been in town planning,” Mr Amos says.

The government’s housebuilding ambitions and planning reforms are welcome, he says, “but we need to make sure the response [as opposition MPs] is robust and really represents the people in my constituency.
I think people in Taunton and Wellington do recognise there’s a need for housing, but they are frustrated with the way in which the planning system works for developers, and also with the lack of genuinely affordable houses.”

He feels the changes to the National Planning Policy Framework are important. “Somerset is expected to deliver a 41% increase in housing, but we’ve got permissions for 11,000 homes that have not been built out. So people see those permissions being issued and not being built, and then being told to accept a lot more housing. So you can understand the reaction that gets.

“We’re being very tough on the ‘use it or lose it approach’ to planning permissions, and that’s something I’ll be taking forward in the context of the planning bill.” (Under this approach, developments of more than 100 houses would lose the land, but be compensated fairly, if they are not built out within three years.)

Having supported the Renters’ Rights Bill, Mr Amos also backs better leaseholder rights. “The Liberal Democrats have been calling for proper regulation [of managing agents] for a long time. There are too many people who are, frankly, being ripped off by freeholders or by estate management companies and have signed agreements which are impossible to get out of, and that’s a real worry. It’s really affecting lots of people who just can’t get basic redress.”

David Smith, Labour, North Northumberland

What’s the housing connection? David Smith was chief executive of Oasis Community Housing, a small Christian homelessness charity. Its projects include drop-in centres for rough sleepers in Gateshead and supported housing in the North East and London.

Notable housing activities in parliament: He is vice-chair of the APPG for Ending Homelessness.

Outside the world of housing? Mr Smith sits on two select committees: Northern Ireland Affairs and the Ecclesiastical Committee. He is the UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief.

And now? “When I was chief executive of a homelessness charity, there was a small number of things that I was doing to lobby and advocate for homelessness into the then-government. So there’s a nice strangeness to it, to be on this side as a parliamentarian, and a member of the party that is the government,” Mr Smith says.

“One of the early decisions I made was that I’m going to get thoroughly involved in the APPG. I’m going to make sure that homelessness is something that I can continue to advocate on,” he says.

Now, former colleagues and contacts from the housing and homeless sector lobby him. “It’s good because that keeps me informed and hopefully close to the issues that matter.”

Housing problems are a “regular, ongoing” issue for his constituents, he says. “One of the first major cases I had when I became an MP last summer was the very thorny case of a woman who was sleeping rough and who wasn’t getting the support that she needed from the local authority.

“I’ve been able to challenge them on that, and to be fair to them, they’ve been listening,” he says.

Mr Smith has come to understand the limitations of backbench life. “Sometimes when I was chief executive, I could say, ‘Do this’, and it would be done, whereas as a backbench member of parliament, you can’t just pull a lever and make things happen. But you do have a lot of influence,” he says.

Still, he adds: “It’s been very satisfying to be part of a parliament that is looking at the major issue of the lack of social and affordable housing, and really has a big, ambitious target to do something about it. Being the chief executive of a relatively small homelessness charity, that’s just not something [where] you could be part of change, really. Being part of this government, we are and we can, and that’s ultimately why I wanted to go into politics.”

Nesil Caliskan, Labour, Barking

What’s the housing connection? Nesil Caliskan spent six years as the first female leader of Enfield Council, with a strong focus on housing.

Notable housing activities in parliament: Her maiden speech highlighted housing in Barking and Dagenham.

Outside the world of housing? Before becoming council leader, Ms Caliskan worked on health inequalities and policy development for the NHS. She chairs the APPG for Interfaith Dialogue and, as the first MP of Turkish-Cypriot descent, is vice-chair of the APPG on Turkey. She is a member of the Public Accounts Committee.

And now? “The casework is relentless around housing. By far, housing is the number one issue. It’s intricately linked to the cost of living crisis,” Ms Caliskan says.

Ms Caliskan started out as a cabinet support officer for Haringey Council in 2013, where she “really learned how local authorities worked”. At the time, with a lot of housing developments under way, she says she “got exposed to really difficult housing decisions”.

After a short spell at NHS England, she was elected leader of Enfield Council in 2018.

“One of the platforms on which I ran as council leader was to try and sort out the big housing projects in the borough,” Ms Caliskan says. This included Meridian Water, one of the largest housing developments in Europe. The local authority initially planned to use one master developer, but after a number of agreements fell through, it opted to use multiple development partners and take on the role of master developer itself.

“It was the most rewarding and politically shaping time, and it exposed me to all the challenges around housing, economic growth and an utterly broken planning system,” she says.

Ms Caliskan became leader of the Labour arm of the Local Government Association in 2023. “I led Labour councillors nationally, which was a great job,” she says.

“You get to really see what is happening, not just in London – because it can be a bit of a bubble, especially when it comes to housing.”

Ms Caliskan sees the 20,000-home Barking Riverside development as a good example of public-private partnerships.

“The real challenge is, how can you deliver housing in a public-private partnership, where the local authority or the government remains the custodian of a place for people? If you can get that right, you can create great communities, great homes, and also improve life chances for people,” she says.

One important point is the need for infrastructure sooner rather than later. At Barking Riverside, thousands of homes have been built, but there is no GP surgery to serve the increased population.

“In our quest to deliver housing, we cannot overlook the other social infrastructure that really makes communities,” she says.

Lee Dillon, Liberal Democrats, Newbury

What’s the housing connection? Lee Dillon spent more than 14 years at Sovereign Housing Association, most recently as the locality manager for Oxford and the Home Counties. He was a councillor in West Berkshire for more than 15 years, becoming council leader in 2023.

Notable housing activities in parliament: Mr Dillon sits on the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, and has backed stronger development regulation. He has questioned housing minister Matthew Pennycook about redefining affordable housing in policy terms, pegging it to average local incomes.

Outside the world of housing? As a vaper, he is vocal about his concerns that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill could “go too far on vaping” and “undo the government’s ambition of a smoke-free country”.

Danny Beales, Labour, Uxbridge and South Ruislip

What’s the housing connection? Danny Beales was cabinet member for new homes, jobs and community investment at Camden Council. He was homeless himself as a child and lived in temporary accommodation.

Notable housing activities in parliament: Mr Beales is a member of the APPG for Households in Temporary Accommodation, as well as the APPG for Ending Homelessness.

Outside the world of housing? Mr Beales, a former policy and campaigns staff member at various health charities, is a member of the Health and Social Care Committee.

And now? Housing is a topic particularly close to Mr Beales’ heart, not least because he was homeless as a child, first in Uxbridge, where he was born and which he now represents, and then in Northamptonshire, where his family lived in a hostel and then temporary accommodation for six months before getting a council house.

His social media bio reads: “Grew up homeless & working to make a difference”. He has been surprised by what this means to his constituents.

“When I’ve gone to schools and community groups, I start with, ‘I’m not the usual MP that we’ve had [here]. I’m the first Labour MP, and also, I grew up here and I was homeless here,’ and that’s not a usual experience of someone in politics.

“Teachers have said, ‘That was really relatable, it’s an experience that many of the kids are going through,’ so I think it’s important for connecting with people and showing that anything’s possible, and showing that politics isn’t this completely removed thing,” he says.

Mr Beales says he has found being a backbencher an adjustment since winning former prime minister Boris Johnson’s old seat in July 2024. “People say to me, ‘Is being an MP like being in the cabinet for Camden?’ and I say, ‘No, it’s very different, actually, I don’t run anything any more. I don’t make any decisions.’”

However, he says it is still “unbelievably valuable” to have practical experience of housing delivery and understand the barriers councils face. And, he says, the access is what he would have dreamed of during his health campaigning days, so he is determined to seize the opportunity.

He has used his new platform to boost housing campaigns, as laid out in the Securing the Future of Council Housing report, which was supported by several local authorities, including Mr Beales’ old haunt, Camden Council.

He has also become heavily involved with the End Furniture Poverty campaign, following an introduction at an Inside Housing panel. He has helped the movement to hold a parliamentary drop-in event, and introduced the campaigners to Rushanara Ali, the minister for homelessness and democracy, to talk about the Decent Homes Standard.

Mr Beales experienced furniture poverty when his family moved from temporary accommodation into their council flat.

“I always think it’s important to have people in politics who understand the various experiences that people have. I think it makes much better policy, and makes sure people’s perspectives are represented,” Mr Beales says.

Satvir Kaur, Labour, Southampton Test

What’s the housing connection? A councillor from 2011, Satvir Kaur led Southampton City Council from 2022 to 2023, the first female Sikh leader of a UK local authority. 

Notable housing activities in parliament: She has quizzed the housing secretary on targets for new social homes and on freezing or reforming the Right to Buy. She has also spoken in support of the Renters’ Rights Bill in parliament.

Outside the world of housing? Ms Kaur wrote to Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary, arguing for the creation of a combined mayoral authority covering Southampton, Portsmouth, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. She is also a parliamentary private secretary to the Cabinet Office.

Dan Tomlinson, Labour, Chipping Barnet

What’s the housing connection? Dan Tomlinson was a senior economist at the Resolution Foundation thinktank, a policy advisor at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation charity and a Tower Hamlets councillor.

Notable housing activities in parliament: He is vice-chair of the APPG for London and has spoken about the impact of homelessness on local government finances.

During a recent debate on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, he challenged Liberal Democrat MP Gideon Amos for opposing new homes in his West Country constituency.

Outside the world of housing? Mr Tomlinson is co-chair of the APPG on British Jews and sits on the Ecclesiastical Committee (Joint Committee).

He backed the campaign to bring Barnet Football Club back to its namesake borough from its current home in Harrow.

Rachel Blake, Cities of London and Westminster, Labour

What’s the housing connection? Rachel Blake was deputy mayor of Tower Hamlets Council, and prior to that was a council officer for Barking & Dagenham Council, working on home delivery and managing the Housing Revenue Account. Before that, she worked in homelessness policy for the East London Housing Partnership, and was also vice-chair of the Labour Housing Group.

She says: “Actually, tackling rough sleeping is incredibly unifying. I get constituents, from the wealthiest part to the most deprived part, saying, ‘What are you doing to help people off the streets?’”

Notable housing activities in parliament: Ms Blake founded the Labour for Leaseholders group and sat on the Renters’ Rights Bill Committee. Locally, she is heavily campaigning to regulate short-term lets, which it is estimated amounts to 18,000 homes in Westminster.

Outside the world of housing? Ms Blake sits on the Treasury Select Committee, which is fitting because early in her career, she was a policy advisor in the Treasury under then-chancellor Gordon Brown. She is also co-chair of the anti-corruption and responsible tax APPG.

Sarah Russell, Labour, Congleton

What’s the housing connection? Sarah Russell is the former vice-chair at Wythenshawe Community Housing and board member at Prima Group. She was also a councillor in Manchester. 

She says housing is vital to improving the livelihood of her area: “I see social housing as having a really important part to play, and particularly in a constituency where we have really terrible affordability. We really struggle with recruitment of key workers, particularly care workers, because of the gap between local wages and house prices.”

Notable housing activities in parliament: She supported amendments to both the Flood and Water Management Act, and Planning and Infrastructure Bill, to require utilities and roads on new developments to be adopted and maintained alongside other public utilities.

She also supports the adoption of the M4(2) accessible and adaptable standard for all new homes in England. This covers the installation of lifts, grab rails and wetrooms, and is more demanding than the current M4(1) ‘visitable’ accessibility baseline.

Outside the world of housing? Ms Russell is a solicitor with expertise in employment law. She sits on the Justice Committee.

Amanda Hack, Labour, North West Leicestershire

What’s the housing connection? Amanda Hack worked in social housing in Leicester for 20 years including in regeneration and economic development at Asra Housing Group, and then as service improvement manager Advance Housing Housing and Support. She has seen the crisis up close, also working with homelessness groups and managing family and youth foyer hostels during a varied career in the sector. 

She tells Inside Housing that moving people from insecure to secure housing “has got to be a route out of poverty, out of instability”.

She adds: “There’s nothing like the story – you sit down with a parent and they’ve lost their home. But they don’t just lose their home, they lose their child’s place at school, they lose their bus to work. When they lose their home it isn’t just about that roof over their head.” 

Notable housing activities in parliament: The MP is part of two housing-related APPGs: healthy homes and buildings, and leasehold and commonhold reform.

Outside the world of housing? She is a member of the Work and Pensions Committee and vice-chair of the Food and Drink APPG.

Alan Strickland, Labour, Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor

What’s the housing connection? Alan Strickland worked for more than five years at Optivo, then Southern Housing, most recently as corporate director of external affairs and resident involvement. He spent seven years as cabinet member for housing, planning and regeneration at Haringey Council.

Notable housing activities in parliament: In his maiden speech, he spoke about how his “grandparents moved from pit villages to Aycliffe new town – home for two years to the late Lord Beveridge – in search of modern housing”.

Outside the world of housing? He led a Westminster Hall debate on how investment in defence could directly benefit small businesses in North East England, and he is a parliamentary private secretary to the education minister.

Jennifer Riddell-Carpenter, Labour, Suffolk Coastal

What’s the housing connection? Jennifer Riddell-Carpenter built her career in housing and built environment communications, including at L&Q, See Media PR and Cratus Group. Her husband also works in social housing.

Notable housing activities in parliament: She is vice-chair of the Healthy Homes and Buildings APPG.

Outside the world of housing? She defeated Thérèse Coffey to win the seat in her childhood home constituency. She is chair of the APPG for Maritime and Ports. She raised concerns about energy infrastructure connecting offshore wind power to coastal regions of the UK.

Sarah Sackman, Labour, Finchley and Golders Green

What’s the housing connection? A barrister specialising in planning and environmental law, Sarah Sackman has acted for local authorities, residents and charities such as Shelter.

Notable housing activities in parliament: She has answered a number of questions in parliament on the topic of legal aid, including fee increases for housing legal aid, and tackling legal aid deserts. In her maiden speech, she spoke about the Brent Cross Town development in her constituency, “one of the largest regeneration developments in Europe”.

Outside the world of housing? She served as Solicitor General for England and Wales from July 2024 to December, and now is the minister of state for courts and legal services. She secured additional funding in the October Budget for the Crown Prosecution Service to support rape and serious sexual offences teams.

Mike Reader, Labour, Northampton South

What’s the housing connection? A civil engineer by training, Mike Reader spent nearly 20 years working in construction, including a role as a director at global firm Mace before becoming an MP.

Notable housing activities in parliament: He sponsored an event by RIBA.

Outside the world of housing? Mr Reader is the chair of not one but three APPGs: on Infrastructure, International Trade, and Food and Drink. He is also a delegate from the UK to the Council of Europe and a business champion for the construction sector.

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