Robert was appointed Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government in August 2019, by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Previously Robert was the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury after being appointed by Prime Minister Theresa May in her reshuffle of January 2018. Previously, Robert served as Parliamentary Private Secretary (or Ministerial aide) to Amber Rudd and Michael Gove. Before becoming a Minister, Robert formerly sat as a Member on the Board of the Conservative Party after being elected by his peers in 2017, and served on the House of Commons Health Committee.