This morning Michael Gove shared the excoriating letter he wrote to the chief executive of Clarion Housing Group, one of the six housing associations Gove says has “let tenants down” in their duty as a landlord and failed to repair their properties to an acceptable standard. It’s a damning read…

“It is absolutely unacceptable that you have yet again failed in your duty to resolve genuine complaints from residents. I understand that in this case, the resident had consistently reported leaks from the start of his tenancy several years previously, and that your organisation’s failures in record keeping meant that the full record of the complaints the resident made could not be established by the Ombudsman.”

Gove goes on to demand a face-to-face meeting with Clarion CEO Clare Miller to explain herself. If Clare can’t make it for some reason, though, Gove could just wander over to the upper chamber and have a word with Gavin Barwell. After all, Barwell’s been a member of Clarion’s board of directors since December 2019…

Here’s what Barwell said upon his appointment:

“I have long been a champion of the role played by housing associations in tackling the housing crisis, having been fortunate enough to witness first-hand the vital contribution they make, during my time as Housing Minister. I look forward to continuing to contribute to the sector by joining an organisation committed to building homes and communities for the long term.”

Awkward…