Simon Clarke has joined the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities from the Treasury, where he served as chief secretary for the past year. He was  effectively the No 2 to two to chancellors, Rishi Sunak and Nadim Zahawi.

The Brexiteer and former solicitor grew up near Middlesbrough in the North-east, and in 2017 was elected as the first Conservative MP for the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

At the age of 37 he has become the youngest cabinet minister in the government but, beyond this, what do we know about the new housing secretary?