It was undoubtedly a sign of Boris Johnson’s desperation yesterday that he appointed Greg Clark to fill the vacant role of levelling up, housing and communities secretary, following his unceremonious sacking of Michael Gove just 12 hours earlier.

Clark, remember, was one of 21 Conservative MPs to have the Tory Party whip removed from them by Johnson in September 2019 for joining with Labour in voting against the government’s plan for a no-deal Brexit. The remain-voter later had the whip restored, bringing him back into the fold of the Conservative Party, but he stayed well outside the circles of power for all of Johnson’s tenure, despite having held ministerial office constantly throughout the Cameron and May administrations.

That he accepted the job likely also says something about Clark’s desire to keep day-to-day government going in what was a deepening crisis.

So, what does the residential development industry need to know about the 54 year-old MP for Tunbridge Wells?

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