buy-to-let

Responding to the new look government, both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties have undertaken reshuffles of their own. The key Treasury and communities spokesmen are below (* denotes no change). A full list of key parliamentary contacts is being updated as and when announcements are made or portfolios are confirmed.

Shadow chancellor - George Osborne* (Con); Vincent Cable MP (LibDem)

Shadow communities secretary - Eirc Pickles (Con); Andrew Stunnell* (LibDem)

Shadow housing minister - Grant Shapps (Con); Paul Holmes (LibDem)

*
The Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Bill had its Commons report and third reading stage, and now in its very final stages before Royal Assent.
*
In answer to parliamentary questions on the growing buy-to-let market, government ministers acknowledged that the private rented sector has a key role to play, that buy-to-let lending has facilitated the expansion of the market and helped to drive up quality and choice within the sector, and that the government has no plans to restrict the amount of lending for buy-to-let housing.