Labour's John Healey back on front bench after 'coup' against Corbyn

Labour’s respected housing expert, John Healey, is now back on the front bench as the party’s housing spokesman after a spat with leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Healey was one of many front-benchers to resign at the start of the summer in the so-called 'corridor coup' which tried, but failed, to unset the party’s leader.

Healey has held a string of government and opposition positions, many intimately connected with housing.

Over 15 years ago he was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Gordon Brown, then served in Treasury roles until he became minister for local government in 2007. 

From June 2009 until May 2010 he was Minister of State for Housing, which he then shadowed for six months after Labour lost that year’s general election.

Last year Healey was particularly outspoken in his support for social housing, creating a pressure group - Social Housing Under Threat, or SHOUT - and has promoted reforms of the private rental sector in Parliament.

The party is believed to be expecting the outcome of its housing policy review shortly.

The review - instigated after Labour lost the 2015 General Election - has been regarded as a non-partisan activity with respected independent experts such as Dame Kate Barker from Credit Suisse, Terrie Alafat the chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, and Ian Mulheirn of Oxford Economics taking part. 

The process has been chaired by the chief executive of Taylor Wimpey, Peter Redfern.

It is thought it may report before the end of the year.