Labour’s flagship pledge to build 1.5 million new homes in England has been branded a “big fat lie” after Angela Rayner admitted there is only a “slim chance” the Government will hit the target before the next election.
The Housing Secretary insisted she would not abandon the commitment, despite acknowledging that rising construction costs and international “headwinds” have made the target increasingly difficult to achieve.
Appearing on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Rayner said: “It’s a slim chance, but I’m definitely not giving it up.
“I think it’s really important that we keep a target, that it was always a stretch target.”
Her comments prompted a fierce response from Reform UK education spokesperson Suella Braverman, who accused Labour of admitting that its flagship housing pledge had never been realistic.
In a post on X, the former Conservative home secretary said: “First the humiliating u-turn on her awful plans for Local Government Reorganisation plans earlier this week.
“Now she is forced to admit that her flagship promise of building 1.5 million homes was always a big fat lie.
“Is there anything she says that we can actually take seriously?!?”
The warning comes as pressure mounts on Labour over its record on housebuilding. Official estimates indicate that around 392,400 new homes were built during the Government’s first two years in office, leaving the pace of construction needing to increase substantially if the 1.5 million target is to be reached.
Research published in July suggested that more than 1,000 homes a day would have to be completed to deliver the pledge.
Ms Rayner nevertheless pointed to increased public investment and a rise in housing starts as evidence that the Government was making progress.
“The Prime Minister wants us to make sure we’re building council houses. He’s made that absolutely, fundamentally clear.
“We’ve just announced £10 billion into a social and affordable homes programme. We’re seeing home-starts up by 15% last year, so we are making a difference.
“But the headwinds that are coming our way internationally and through those construction costs are having a negative effect on that target.”
The Government has sought to accelerate construction through a controversial overhaul of the planning system, arguing that reforms are needed to remove barriers and get developments moving more quickly.
But Labour has also faced criticism over its approach to affordable housing. Andy Burnham has been accused of watering down an earlier commitment to direct the Government’s £39 billion affordable housing budget towards council housebuilding.
The admission from Ms Rayner leaves Labour facing a difficult political calculation: whether to retain an increasingly challenging numerical target or risk undermining confidence in its wider housing strategy by revising it.
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