No excuses to not build 1.5m new homes, Rayner says

The housing, communities and local government secretary said that within a month of taking office, she was asked if she wanted to review Labour’s housing target.

“I wasn’t going to give up on the target,” she said.

She said she was personally “determined to meet that 1.5 million target” and said policies such as reforming the planning system would “take time” to have an impact.

She added: “There are no excuses to not build those homes that people desperately need.

“And we mean business on this, because far too many people are not getting these homes.”

Labour hopes building more homes will reduce house prices and make buying and renting homes more affordable, especially for younger people.

Its target means building an average of 300,000 new homes a year – a number not achieved since the 1970s.

In recent years, the number of new homes built annually has been considerably below that figure.

The housing industry has expressed doubts about Labour’s housing target and whether it can be reached by 2029.

The construction industry has warned it is dealing with a chronic shortage of skilled workers.

There are also concerns about the availability of basic building materials, including bricks and timber.

And many housing experts are unsure whether private housebuilders are able or willing to deliver enough new homes each year.