Steve Reed: “They want us to get on with the job.”

Serving as the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has been the honour of my life and although I am disappointed to be leaving Government now, I wish your new team every success.

I thought that Conor Lamb was the best candidate based on his priorities and his background, and I think we needed some new blood in Congress.

there are conversations going on in Parliament all the time

This Government is driving the most ambitious programme of local government reform in a generation, replacing the inefficient two-tier system with new unitary councils so that all parts of our country are ready for devolution.