Labour sets 1.5 million new home target

Labour will aim to build 1.5 million homes in a five year government term, said party leader Sir Keir Starmer today on the eve of its conference.

Speaking to Victoria Derbyshire on the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show this morning, Starmer said "just talking about it (building more homes) won't deliver it". Pressed by Derbyshire, who quoted a Centre for Cities report that says England needs 442,000 homes a year to solve the housing crisis, Starmer named a target of 1.5 million homes in five years. Starmer said that Labour would seek to increase the number of affordable homes built by strengthening planning guidance so that developers could not challenge the requirement to build affordable homes on viability grounds after gaining planning permission.

This echoed comments earlier in the weekend by deputy leader Angela Rayner who told The Guardian that Labour would oversee "the biggest boost in affordable housing in a generation" by getting tough on developers who "wriggle out" of section 106 requirements. Labour would set up a new "expert unit" to give councils and housing associations advice to get the best deals in negotiations with property companies.

Labour will publish guidance to prevent developers claiming that building more affordable homes …