Keir Starmer got here to energy promising nationwide renewal within the Labour social gathering manifesto, which might come about by the “rebuilding of our country, so that it once again serves the interests of working people”.
Starmer might have hardly dreamed of such a cushty landslide victory, however even with it there should still be pushback towards his pledges from members of his personal frontbench.
On the problem of housing, a number of members of Starmer’s cupboard have expressed views that don’t fairly align together with his plans, and between them they’ve been concerned in stopping the development of 1000’s of houses across the nation.
May this impede the brand new prime minister’s ambitions to construct the 1.5m houses promised within the manifesto? Right here we take a look at a few of his closest allies who’ve proven moments of nimbyism.
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1. Angela Rayner, secretary of state for housing, communities and native authorities
In 2017 Angela Rayner turned out to assist these protesting towards housebuilding plans for Ashton Hurst in her constituency. {Photograph}: Angela Rayner/Fb The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, who assumed the accountability of housing and native authorities upon Labour’s victory final month, has made clear her intentions to construct the 1.5m new houses that Labour has promised.
Regardless of this, she has additionally beforehand opposed constructing on inexperienced belts, one thing that Labour will in all probability should do to fulfil its guarantees. In 2019, she launched an announcement towards a proposal to construct 132 houses on the positioning of a former major college and in 2017 she marched with residents of Ashton Hurst, Better Manchester, as they protested towards plans to develop houses on inexperienced belt land.
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2. Rachel Reeves, chancellor of the exchequer
Rachel Reeves, the primary ever feminine chancellor, has been in all probability the most important proponent of the have to construct houses on inexperienced belt land other than Starmer himself. Regardless of this, she has spoken out up to now towards housing growth in her constituency of Leeds West and Pudsey.
In 2019, she opposed the development of greater than 60 council houses on a disused subject on the town’s west aspect. A prolonged public debate led to 2022 when Leeds metropolis council’s resolution to grant the planning permissions was deemed illegal.
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3. Yvette Cooper, dwelling secretary
Yvette Cooper, a former management candidate, was made dwelling secretary by Starmer. Although she had beforehand pledged to construct 500,000 houses throughout her unsuccessful 2015 management marketing campaign, Cooper has additionally opposed housing plans round West Yorkshire, the place her constituency is.
Most just lately she backed campaigners who opposed a proposal to construct greater than 400 new houses, together with retirement houses, in Wakefield. Reportedly, one in every of Cooper’s causes for being towards the plans was that the constructing of the houses would negatively have an effect on the “village status” of the realm.
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4. Wes Streeting, secretary of state for well being and social care
Wes Streeting has spoken positively about current developments in housing, however again in 2017 was a part of a marketing campaign that efficiently prevented the constructing of 850 new houses on a collection of taking part in fields in his Ilford constituency.
Since changing into a minister, Streeting has additionally reportedly solid doubts on the feasibility of constructing the beforehand deliberate 40 new hospitals by 2030, citing an absence of religion that the deadline could be met.
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5. Pat McFadden, chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster
Pat McFadden, the MP for Wolverhampton South East and the brand new chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, has up to now opposed quite a lot of housing builds in his West Midlands constituency, together with a proposal to construct 40 new houses within the city of Bilston.
Pat McFadden in a video from 2021. He additionally backed the Boris Johnson-endorsed marketing campaign to forestall the growth of as much as 1,300 new houses within the countryside surrounding the town, saying Wolverhampton “should not be forced to choose between the new housing that we need and the green spaces that we love”.
