Kit Malthouse MP has been appointed as the new minister of state for housing in England, the fifth minister to hold the position in the last three years.

The MP for North West Hampshire has replaced Dominic Raab who exited the role after six months to take up the position of secretary of state for exiting the European Union following the resignation of David Davis on Sunday evening.

Former deputy mayor of London, Malthouse is the eighth housing minister to serve in the last eight years, and the 17th in the last 20.

National Housing Federation chief executive, David Orr, welcomed the appointment but said that Mr Malthouse needs have “enough time to get to grips with the real scale of the problem, and make meaningful change”.

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David Orr said: “Congratulations to Kit Malthouse MP on his new position. We’ve had constructive dialogue with him in his role at the Department of Work and Pensions, and it is positive that someone with an understanding of the strong links between welfare and housing has been appointed as housing minister. We look forward to continuing our close work with Mr Malthouse to solve the country’s housing crisis. Housing must remain a priority for this Government and housing associations will continue to be constructive and vital partners.

“However, this is the eighth housing minister in eight years. Theresa May has made it her personal mission to fix the housing crisis and if the Prime Minister is serious about this, she now needs to make sure Mr Malthouse actually has enough time to get to grips with the real scale of the problem, and make meaningful change.”