Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Sunak pledges one million new homes before election

The housing plan is the latest attempt by Sunak to reduce the opposition Labour Party’s large poll lead after an unexpected victory in a so-called by-election just outside central London on Friday

Sunak pledges one million new homes before election

PRIME minister Rishi Sunak is set to make a commitment to constructing 1 million homes before the upcoming national election.

This plan aims to address the pressing issue of inadequate housing stock, which has resulted in the disillusionment of a significant portion of younger voters. Many of these young voters face the burden of exorbitant rents and the inability to afford their own homes.


As the election approaches, the governing Conservatives, led by Sunak, have observed a decline in support from younger voters.

The frustrations stem from the escalating property prices that make homeownership unattainable for many and the added financial strain caused by expensive childcare costs.

To win back the trust and support of this demographic, Sunak intends to tackle the housing crisis head-on through the goal of building 1 million new homes.

Housing has long been a contentious area for the Conservatives, who are divided between some lawmakers in rural areas who do not want to see an increase in building and want to protect greenbelt protected land, and between those in more urban regions, who want to see more homes built quickly.

Housing minister Michael Gove will set out further measures on Monday to unblock the planning system and build homes in the "right places" where there is local consent to reach the 1 million target that was set out at the 2019 election.

Sunak said his government would concentrate on building in inner-city areas where demand was highest, including a new urban quarter in Cambridge to boost its role as a science hub.

"Today I can confirm that we will meet our manifesto commitment to build 1 million homes over this parliament. That's a beautiful new home for a million individual families in every corner of our country," Sunak said, using a term that refers to the time between the 2019 election and the next vote.

"We won't do that by concreting over the countryside - our plan is to build the right homes where there is the most need and where there is local support, in the heart of Britain’s great cities," he said in a statement.

The housing plan is the latest attempt by Sunak to reduce the opposition Labour Party's large poll lead after an unexpected victory in a so-called by-election just outside central London on Friday offered him some breathing space.

In June, British house building at the sharpest pace in more than 14 years apart from two months early in the Covid-19 pandemic, as higher borrowing costs dampened demand and weighed on the broader construction sector, a survey said this month.

Earlier this month, a parliamentary committee said the government was on track to deliver 1 million new homes, but was not forecast to deliver another promise to build 300,000 net new homes per year by the mid-2020s, largely because of uncertainty over planning policy reform.

(Reuters)

More For You

Instagram Restricts Top Pakistani Artists in India Over Tensions

Pakistani stars Fawad Khan, Atif Aslam, and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan among celebrities whose Instagram profiles are now blocked in India

Getty Images

Instagram blocks profiles of Fawad Khan, Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in India amid rising tensions

The Instagram profiles of Pakistani celebrities like Fawad Khan, Atif Aslam, and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan are no longer accessible in India. This development comes just weeks before Fawad’s planned Bollywood return with Abir Gulaal and follows a series of social media restrictions tied to the worsening India–Pakistan relationship.

When Indian fans try to view the artists' Instagram pages, they’re met with a message: "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content." No official clarification has come from either the Indian government or Meta, but the timing is significant. The move comes days after a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region killed 26 people, most of them tourists. It was one of the deadliest attacks since the 2008 Mumbai carnage.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hajj pilgrims cautioned over meningitis and MERS bug

Hajj and Umrah pilgrims are required to show proof of a valid MenACWY vaccination when arriving in Saudi Arabia

iStock

Hajj pilgrims cautioned over meningitis and MERS bug

BRITAIN’s health security agency has urged pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for Hajj or Umrah to get vaccinated against meningococcal disease, following a small number of recent cases in the country linked to travel.

Between February and March, five people in England and Wales developed MenW, a type of meningococcal infection, after either visiting Saudi Arabia or having close contact with someone who had, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.

Keep ReadingShow less
cricket representational

The ECB said its recreational cricket regulations had always aimed to make the sport inclusive.

iStock

Trans women banned from playing women's cricket in England and Wales

TRANSGENDER women have been banned from playing in women’s and girls’ cricket in England and Wales following a policy change announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday.

The ECB’s decision follows a UK Supreme Court ruling last month which stated that the legal definition of a "woman" is based on a person’s sex at birth and does not include transgender women who hold a gender recognition certificate.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lancashire bats for Indian
board to join The Hundred

The Indian cricket board currently does not allow its men’s players to participate in any overseas T20 leagues, including The Hundred

Lancashire bats for Indian board to join The Hundred

THE England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) should offer the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) a minority ownership stake in The Hundred to attract Indian players to the competition, Lancashire CEO Daniel Gidney has suggested.

“I think it’s possible. If I was the ECB, I’d be talking about perhaps bringing the BCCI in as a minority ownership partner in the tournament as a whole. If you do that, then you are aligning interests,” Gidney told the ESPNCricinfo website.

Keep ReadingShow less
Why strengthening UK-India bonds ‘is personal’ for Nandy

Lisa Nandy and Vikram Doraiswami

Why strengthening UK-India bonds ‘is personal’ for Nandy

LISA NANDY has said the UK hopes to forge a “closer cultural partnership” with India after she returns from her first trip to Mumbai and New Delhi as secretary of state for culture, media and sport from Thursday (1) to Sunday (4).

She made the promise at a reception hosted jointly last week by her department and the High Commission of India at the St James Court Taj Hotel in central London.

Keep ReadingShow less