Reshuffle Britain
Housing has had 28 ministers since 2010, lasting a median of 222 days each.
270
appointments in 2022, the busiest year since 1979
28
housing ministers since 2010
49 days
median time in a post under Liz Truss
Every reshuffle moves ministers out of jobs they have barely learned. 2022 was the extreme: with Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak taking over, there were 270 ministerial appointments in twelve months.
Ministerial appointments per year
Spikes mark new prime ministers and general elections
Show the data
| Year | Appointments |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 1 |
| 1981 | 75 |
| 1982 | 25 |
| 1983 | 81 |
| 1984 | 28 |
| 1985 | 38 |
| 1986 | 49 |
| 1987 | 55 |
| 1988 | 39 |
| 1989 | 66 |
| 1990 | 84 |
| 1991 | 5 |
| 1992 | 79 |
| 1993 | 32 |
| 1994 | 65 |
| 1995 | 75 |
| 1996 | 21 |
| 1997 | 119 |
| 1998 | 60 |
| 1999 | 70 |
| 2000 | 3 |
| 2001 | 105 |
| 2002 | 50 |
| 2003 | 69 |
| 2004 | 23 |
| 2005 | 77 |
| 2006 | 67 |
| 2007 | 129 |
| 2008 | 99 |
| 2009 | 94 |
| 2010 | 134 |
| 2011 | 10 |
| 2012 | 85 |
| 2013 | 51 |
| 2014 | 79 |
| 2015 | 94 |
| 2016 | 114 |
| 2017 | 84 |
| 2018 | 105 |
| 2019 | 150 |
| 2020 | 103 |
| 2021 | 99 |
| 2022 | 270 |
| 2023 | 98 |
| 2024 | 166 |
| 2025 | 106 |
| 2026 | 133 |
Under Thatcher the median minister held a post for 687 days, close to two years. Since 2016 it has not reached a year under any prime minister.
How long a minister stays in post
Median days in a post, completed posts only, by prime minister
ConservativeLabour
Show the data
| Prime minister | Median days | Posts |
|---|---|---|
| Baroness Thatcher | 687 | 621 |
| John Major | 649 | 306 |
| Tony Blair | 581 | 656 |
| Gordon Brown | 340 | 309 |
| Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 660 | 460 |
| Theresa May | 332 | 330 |
| Boris Johnson | 291 | 393 |
| Liz Truss | 49 | 113 |
| Rishi Sunak | 279 | 194 |
| Keir Starmer | 318 | 235 |
Housing is the textbook case. Since 2010 the junior housing brief has been held by 28 different people, for a median of 222 days each, in a policy area where a single development can take a decade.
Cabinet posts that changed hands most often
Different people holding each post since 1979