PM reconfirms “ambitious” 1.5m new homes target

Prime minister Keir Starmer has reiterated the government’s target to deliver 1.5 million new homes in this parliament, acknowledging that it is a challenging ambition.

Giving a speech in Buckinghamshire today (December 5) on the Labour government’s “plan for change”, including six “milestones”, Starmer said the party would rebuild Britain through its homes target, “so the security I enjoyed when I was growing up – that base camp aspiration of home ownership – doesn’t move further and further away from working class families like mine”.

He acknowledged that people might view the 1.5 million homes goal and other targets as “a little too ambitious. To be honest, they’re right”. But the government was “starting from ground zero” on its plans, with “housing starts and permissions the lowest for a decade”.

“The job of the milestones is to drive the country forward”, he said.

In addition to re-committing to 1.5 million new homes, Starmer announced a target of delivering 150 major infrastructure projects. “This will send a very clear message to the nimbys – you no longer have the upper hand,” he said.

He commented that the planning system was a “blockage in the economy so big”, it …