, but he already has a multitude of important decisions to make as the new Tory leader. One of the first tasks any Prime Minister has to take on is the reshuffle and appointment of his cabinet. Mr Sunak's choices for the various cabinet posts have proved controversial as he seeks to reach out to his party's left and right flanks and calm the economic markets. One appointment that has proved surprising to some (after his apparent bowing out of frontline politics) is the return of the veteran Tory MP and experienced former minister Michael Gove, who has been once again appointed to the role of levelling up secretary. But just what does the levelling up secretary do, and what are they in charge of? Here's everything you need to know. What is a levelling up secretary? The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is responsible for the strategic oversight of the department of the same name. In practice, this means he is responsible for seeing that the government's agenda is being carried out by the department. The department's official government website page describes its brief as follows: 'Our work includes investing in local areas to drive growth and create jobs, delivering the homes our country needs, supporting our community and faith groups, and overseeing local government, planning and building safety.' While the department was initially established under Tony Blair as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (and saw then-MP David Miliband in charge), it was under Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the role was officially christened 'Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.' This was done to bring the department more in line with the 'levelling up' promises outlined in the 2019 Conservative party manifesto. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Mr Gove's new position is a ministerial ro){kind=link}
Rishi Sunak only officially became UK Prime Minister yesterday (October 25), but he already has a multitude of important decisions to make as the new Tory leader.
One of the first tasks any Prime Minister has to take on is the reshuffle and appointment of his cabinet.
Mr Sunak’s choices for the various cabinet posts have proved controversial as he seeks to reach out to his party’s left and right flanks and calm the economic markets.
One appointment that has proved surprising to some (after his apparent bowing out of frontline politics) is the return of the veteran Tory MP and experienced former minister Michael Gove, who has been once again appointed to the role of levelling up secretary.
But just what does the levelling up secretary do, and what are they in charge of?