Labour will build on green belt to boost housing, Starmer says

Labour will give local authorities more power to build on green belt land to meet their area's housing needs if the party wins at the next general election, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

Speaking to Sky's Ian King, the Labour leader accused the Conservatives of "killing the dream of homeownership" for a whole generation of people by removing housebuilding targets.

"The blockers are in charge and housebuilding will drop probably to its lowest level since the Second World War," he said.

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Sir Keir, who also pledged to renegotiate Boris Johnson's "half-baked Brexit deal", said a Labour government would put housing targets "back up".

But he said that on its own "won't do enough" and planning restrictions need to be relaxed so more homes can be built.

He said: "We've got to drive housebuilding at pace. We need to put local areas in charge of that so change the planning rules, have development corporations as vehicles on the ground to drive building, and make sure that the dream, the aspiration of owning your own home is realised for so many people who at the moment have had their dreams shattered."

Asked about people in rural areas who don't want to see the green belt "concreted over", Sir Keir said "of course" he wanted to protect the countryside but his party was prepared to "make tough choices".

He also said that which parcels of land fall under green belt rules is sometimes illogical, giving an example of homes being built on a playing field rather than a car park because the car park was technically within the green belt whereas the field was not.

"This is not about disrespecting the green belt," he added.

"That is also part of our plan for rebuilding the economy, because for every hundred thousand houses that we can build across the United Kingdom, then broadly speaking, that's 1% of GDP that goes up."

However, Housing Secretary Michael Gove has written to Sir Keir asking him a series of questions in order to "clear up" his position, calling his announcements today "confusing".

He said Lisa Nandy, the shadow housing secretary, has previously said she opposes building on the green belt and wants to prioritise social housing - something the Labour leader has not mentioned today.

"Has she changed her mind, and does she agree with your new policy?" he asked.

Under planning rules in England, building on the green belt is generally not allowed unless in exceptional circumstances.

Rishi Sunak has previously pledged to defend green belt land - something many Conservative MPs support.

Last year the prime minister was forced to drop compulsory housebuilding targets in the face of a backlash from rebel backbench MPs and Tory activists, saying the manifesto promise to build 300,000 homes a year in England by the mid-2020s is now advisory, not mandatory.

Starmer 'on the side of builders not blockers'

Sir Keir's announcement comes ahead of a speech to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) later today when he is expected to launch an attack on so-called NIMBYS (Not in My Backyard).

He will vow to "be on the side of builders not blockers" and say his policy extends beyond just new houses.

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Sir Keir, who wants to see more onshore windfarms, will pledge reforms to the planning system, saying it is holding back growth and leaving the economy "stuck in second gear".

He will say: "You can't be serious about raising productivity, about improving the supply-side capacity of our economy and about arresting our economic decline without a plan for the wind farms, the laboratories, the warehouses and the homes this country so desperately needs."

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Sir Keir will set out five key economic shifts: giving economic stability and certainty, handing power to communities across the country, seizing the opportunities of the future, increasing security at work and building economic resilience.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey will also address the BCC gathering.