5 December 2024, 22:37 | Updated: 6 December 2024, 08:44
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Labour has pledged to tackle nimbyism and usher in the biggest building boom in half a century as it looks to deliver at least 150 major infrastructure projects and build 1.5 million homes before the next general election.
Promising “more gigafactories, solar farms, roads and railway lines” Labour today committed to a slew of projects as part of Sir Keir Starmer’s six pledges.
Announcing the commitment on Thursday, Sir Keir’s government hopes green-lighting new infrastructure projects will bring with it a wave of economic growth.
Speaking with Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, the Housing Minister clarified that the 1.5million would not be evenly distributed over the period: “It’s not an annual target for 350,000 homes a year, partly because we know we’re in such a trough for house building.
“We’ve got to pull ourselves out of this trough What I want to see in 12 months time if I come back on your programme is us starting to climb on a very steep upward trajectory towards the numbers we need to achieve that.
He labelled the target “incredibly stretching”, adding: “We’ve been nothing but candid about the fact it is stretching but achievable – the 1.5million new homes target.
Matthew Pennycook MP said Labour was promising “timely” decision making, adding: “We think that looking at the analysis, the [1.5m] figure is coming into the system over the course of the parliament.
Watch Again: Nick Ferrari is joined by Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook | 06/12/24
He added that “milestones” are a metric “the public can track us on”, with the figure “putting us on track to give industry the certainty it needs to start investing on the scale we need.”
He added: “I’m going to hang my hat on that, Nick”.
Announcing the new commitment, Deputy PM Angela Rayner said: “We were elected on the promise of change and turning the page on failure, rebuilding this country from the bottom up.
“That’s why we won’t let the voices of the small minority of blockers hold the country hostage when it comes to growth. We’ve seen this done over the past year – with decisions on vital infrastructure with huge potential to grow our economy being unnecessarily delayed.
“Our Plan for Change will stop this and drive real improvements in the lives of working people.
“We’re already taking decisive action by transforming the planning system and bringing forward the biggest boost in social and affordable housing in a generation and alongside this uplift in infrastructure, we will unlock long-term economic prosperity for every part of the country.”
The plan will see ministers asked to fast-track projects in a bid to almost triple the 57 decisions made in the previous Parliament and more than the total number of decisions made since 2011.
Four new solar farms will be built in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, East Cambridgeshire and West Suffolk, Rutland, and Lincolnshire under the new measures, Labour confirmed.
Keir Starmer sets out six milestones in ‘plan for change’
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This comes after Sir Keir announced his “plan for change” on Thursday.
“Country first, party second,” Starmer vowed as he unveiled Labour’s six point policy to reform Britain on Thursday.
The Prime Minister set out six “milestone” targets, including to raise living standards, cut NHS waiting lists, recruit extra police and build 1.5 million new homes.
Speaking from Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, the PM likened himself to a future James Bond as he began his speech as part of an attempted party reset.
But opposition leader Kemi Badenoch has said Starmer’s relaunch “can’t hide the reality of a government that doesn’t know what it is doing.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed the reset offers “no change” and “guarantees economic failure”.
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Starmer’s six pledges include:
- Raising living standards – the government is set to target the highest sustained growth in the G7
- Rebuild Britain – plans to build 1.5 million homes
- Ensure safer streets – increase police numbers and “stamp out anti-social behaviour in every community”
- Give children the best start in life – “record proportion of five-year-olds starting school ready to learn”
- Clean power by 2030 – “never again” will the UK rely on “tyrants like Putin”
- New NHS targets – ensure 18-week target from referral to treatment “finally met”.
The PM said the government faces an “almighty challenge” to hit these milestones by the end of this parliament.
Starmer branded Britain “broken but not beyond repair” as he spoke of the need for a “mission-led government”.
“This is our plan – it begins, as we set out in our manifesto, strong foundations,” Starmer said.
Asked by LBC whether the six pledges marked a “watering down” of his pledges, the PM pushed back, saying “these are something for the public to use” in order to measure the government’s milestones.
“As i’ve said, fixing the foundations is like finding damp in your wall,” the Prime Minister said, as he spoke about “dealing with the problem once and for all”.
Speaking to those the PM referred to as “bureaucrats”, Starmer vowed to cut red tape, adding: “You no longer have the upper hand, Britain says ‘yes'”.
“I expect to be judged on my ability to deal with it,” said Starmer