News

New construction minister appointed

Nadhim Zahawi, newly appointed construction minister.

The government has confirmed the appointment of Nadhim Zahawi as the new construction minister.

Zahawi’s official title is parliamentary under secretary of state, minister for business and industry at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

He is Conservative MP for Stratford-on-Avon, having been elected in May 2010, and had previously held a junior minister role at the Department for Education from January last year. The new minister takes over from Andrew Stephenson, who had only been in the role since 5 April but was moved as part of Boris Johnson’s reshuffle last month.

Hannah Vickers, CEO of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE), welcomed the minister to his new role. 

She said: “Our industry stands on the verge of a digital transformation, opening a great opportunity to boost our productivity and deliver a more sustainable built environment. So I welcome Mr Zahawi’s appointment as our new construction minister at this important and exciting time for the industry.

“Now, more than ever, our industry needs a minister who recognises the skills and expertise our members bring and is able to champion the value of our expertise to society. I look forward to meeting with Mr Zahawi, making the case for continuing investment to improve the UK’s social and economic infrastructure, and building an ongoing dialogue to ensure the alignment of government action with our members' priorities for the future of the construction sector.”

The construction minister’s responsibilities include: 

  • Industrial Strategy delivery;
  • Sector Deals - sectoral lead on advanced manufacturing, materials (including steel) and infrastructure and construction;
  • Supply chains;
  • Local growth;
  • Better regulation and regulatory reform;

Zahawi’s appointment follows last month’s widespread government reshuffle, which also saw Robert Jenrick replace James Brokenshire as the secretary of state for the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), and Esther McVey made minister of state for housing.

 

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