Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has reaffirmed Labour’s pledge to build 1.5m homes before the next general election, saying she is “determined” to deliver on the promise. Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Rayner acknowledged the challenges but insisted: “There are no excuses to not build those homes that people desperately need.”
Labour’s plans centre on planning reform, including reintroducing housing targets for councils and making it easier to build on “grey” parts of the green belt. However, delivering 1.5m homes means building an average of 300,000 a year—a level not seen since the 1970s.
Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark, said: “Propertymark welcomes a renewed commitment from the Deputy Prime Minister on the ongoing pledge to build 1.5m new homes before the next general election. As the population of the UK continues to expand, it is vital we start to see targeted plans drawn up and implemented in regions where new housing is most needed.
“It is essential that full attention is turned to implementing legislation that allows for this ambition to become a reality, and that there is wide-ranging engagement to ensure all plans bring the correct levels of infrastructure and help deliver a balanced housing mix on a regional basis. Ultimately, to keep pace, there will need to be almost thirty thousand new homes constructed every month before summer 2029.”
On Labour’s plans to improve the buying and selling process through technology, he added: “We also welcome plans to help speed up the buying and selling process via the proposal of making better use of technology. The housing sector will benefit enormously from digitisation, such commitment will ultimately bring vast consumer value and help streamline systems that have long needed progression.”
Rayner acknowledged the scale of the challenge and confirmed she had been asked whether she wanted to review the target, weeks after taking office. Her response: “I wasn’t going to give up on the target.”
