Category: Housing

  • Keir Starmer – 2026 Comments on Home Ownership

    Keir Starmer – 2026 Comments on Home Ownership

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 21 June 2026.

    Getting the keys to a home you can call your own is one of the biggest events in anyone’s life. But right now, the system that should provide support instead turns it into a battle, leaving people in limbo and putting that opportunity out of reach. 

    We’re turning the page. Our reforms will bring this outdated process into the modern age, saving people time and money, and giving them the certainty they deserve. 

    This is about building a stronger, fairer Britain, one that works for the next generation and makes the dream of home ownership a reality for many more hard-working people. 

  • Jeremy Corbyn – 2026 Comments on Grenfell Tower

    Jeremy Corbyn – 2026 Comments on Grenfell Tower

    The comments made by Jeremy Corbyn on 14 June 2026.

    Solidarity to Grenfell survivors who suffer the eternal pain of loss, nine years on.

    72 people died because of corporate greed and negligence. We still do not have justice.

    In unity we must defeat austerity and privatisation for good — and defend housing as a human right for all.

  • Joe Powell – 2026 Speech on the Ninth Anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Fire

    Joe Powell – 2026 Speech on the Ninth Anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Fire

    The speech made by Joe Powell, the Labour MP for Kensington and Bayswater, in the House of Commons on 11 June 2026.

    This Sunday will be the ninth anniversary of the Grenfell tower fire. With thousands of others, I will join the silent walk on father’s day to remember the 72 people who lost their lives in an entirely preventable and foreseen tragedy, and to support families who lost parents, siblings and children in unimaginable circumstances.

    I know that for the bereaved and for survivors, and for our community in Kensington and Bayswater, this is always a difficult time, because nine years on, there has been no criminal accountability for those responsible; nine years on, the pace of change at local government and at national level is too often too slow; and nine years on, the cladding crisis still affects hundreds of thousands of people across the country. I pay tribute to all those who continue to advocate for truth, justice and change for Grenfell, and to everyone across the country affected by this national scandal.

    But it would be a mistake to give up hope. The Metropolitan police said last month that it will hand over files to the Crown Prosecution Service in September this year and that the CPS will make charging decisions by the 10th anniversary in 2027—20 organisations and 57 individuals could face criminal charges, and potential offences under consideration include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, fraud, health and safety breaches, and misconduct in public office.

    Dawn Butler (Brent East) (Lab)

    Justice delayed is justice denied. It is great that the Met has now come to this position. Does my hon. Friend agree that we should try to ensure that the cases are fast-tracked in our criminal system so that justice can now be speeded up?

    Joe Powell

    My hon. Friend is right. We have seen, in recent history, that with events of national significance—from Southport to the recent disturbances on our streets—the criminal justice system has moved really quickly because of the importance of showing that justice is seen to be done. I hope that once the CPS has made its decisions, we will do everything we can to ensure that the court capacity is in place to deliver the trials as soon as possible. I hope the Minister can reassure us that the investigation will continue to be fully funded and that that planning is already taking place with the judiciary and the Ministry of Justice so that the cases are prioritised. If those trials take place, which I obviously hope they will, they will be some of the most complex ever held in the UK. I therefore hope that consideration is also given to a special court or a Nightingale-style court. I know that is being looked at.

    Corporate manslaughter convictions are incredibly rare, so it is essential that those responsible face the full force of the law. I also believe that it is completely wrong for any company cited in the public inquiry still to be receiving public contracts. In December I uncovered dozens of contracts with implicated companies, including two current NHS contracts with Rydon, the main contractor for the refurbishment, which was cited in the public inquiry. I urge all public bodies to do a full audit of their contracts, including subcontractors and supply chains, and publish exactly what they find. It is good news that this Government have introduced new powers to exclude companies on grounds such as professional misconduct. Now is the time for procurement offices to start using them.

    We have already had a public inquiry that has laid out in stark terms why the fire happened and where responsibility lies, and I am glad that this Government have accepted the recommendations in full and that important progress is being made. It is important not to forget that. The last report shows that 20 of 61 recommendations are complete and 40 are in progress. I am glad that those include progress towards a single construction regulator, the expansion of product regulation, the introduction of residential personal emergency evacuation plans, the idea of a college of fire and rescue, and proposed changes to the statutory fire safety guidance in approved document B.

    I am also pleased that, under Lord Roe in the other place, the performance of the Building Safety Regulator is improving, including signing off remediation works more quickly. I welcome the remediation Bill in the King’s Speech, on which I look forward to engaging in this parliamentary Session, so that we can address the outstanding unremediated buildings and the knock-on effects, such as crippling insurance bills for leaseholders.

    I acknowledge all that progress, but there is one missing piece of the jigsaw: oversight and accountability. The online tracker for Grenfell recommendations is no doubt helpful, but Grenfell would not have happened at all if we had properly learned the lessons from the Lakanal House fire in 2009 and listened to the coroner’s recommendations. Instead, they sat on a shelf, and an opportunity to save lives was missed. We need a proper system of tracking and following up, not just on major inquiries that get a lot of attention here, but on all the inquests and investigations that lead to recommendations for change. That is why I continue to support the idea of a national oversight mechanism as a legacy for Grenfell.

    On 25 February, the Secretary of State said in this House, in answer to my question:

    “Work is continuing across Government, including in my Department, on setting up a national oversight mechanism”.—[Official Report, 25 February 2026; Vol. 781, c. 363.]

    I hope that the Minister can provide us with an update on that work and tell us when we can expect a decision to be made. Such a mechanism would sit alongside the Public Office (Accountability) Bill—the Hillsborough law—which I hope to see back here soon, as landmark reforms that put power in the hands of citizens: a real duty of candour for the state, a level playing field for legal aid, and clear deterrence for misconduct in public office. If we design those well, they will lead to fewer and shorter inquiries, more rapid lesson learning by the state and a culture shift towards openness, which can contribute to the rebuilding of trust in politics and in government in this country.

    The culture shift that we need extends to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. I am deeply disappointed that the first decision of the Conservative leadership in the new council term last month was to remove an opposition chair of the housing scrutiny committee. Since Grenfell, that position has been promised to an opposition councillor. It is still unclear to me why or how that decision was taken, because avoiding scrutiny, especially for this council, which is so culpable for the fire, is an extremely bad look. I call on the leadership to think again and to reverse that decision.

    Residents in RBKC know that the council needs scrutiny. The independent Regulator of Social Housing reported last year that the housing department was seriously failing, giving it a C3 rating. The council has the third worst complaints record in the country. It likes to say that it gets the basics right. Well, meeting the decent homes standard, so that everyone can have the minimum of a safe and healthy home, is surely a basic human right that any council should be delivering.

    The Lancaster West estate surrounding Grenfell is a good example. After the fire, the promise was a model 21st-century housing estate, and that promise is still unfulfilled. I am glad that the Government have stepped in with an additional £8 million to ensure that there are no further delays to the current work, and that that will come alongside additional scrutiny on how that money is spent. I hope that the Minister can provide more details on how residents can be involved, including leaseholders and others, so that new oversight can be shaped by them and that they have confidence in the arrangement. I am also pleased that support was extended to NHS services through the period of the deconstruction of the tower, given the acute risk of mental health issues, and to five local primary schools to provide trauma-informed education around the community.

    My final point is a simple one: with the passage of time, we cannot allow a return to business as usual before the fire. Already, we hear rumbles from parts of the construction industry and even, shamefully, some political parties, saying that Grenfell is somehow responsible for the slowdown in house building or that fire safety is a trade-off worth considering. There will always be policy choices for local and national Government to make, but putting life at risk should not be a trade-off we accept. I hope we can work together with empathy and respect—something I suspect Jo Cox would have wanted—and ensure that the legacy of Grenfell is that everyone in this country, regardless of class, race, geography or age, lives in a safe and healthy home.

  • Steve Reed – 2026 Business in the Community Speech

    Steve Reed – 2026 Business in the Community Speech

    The speech made by Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 2 June 2026.

    Good afternoon, I’m sorry I’m the third politician you’ve had today but it’s certainly a pleasure for me to be here to speak to all of you about our work.

    So can I first by start by thanking you Sue and everyone at the BITC for all the work you are leading at Business in the Community and the change you are driving in our communities.

    I know that for over 40 years now Business in the Community have promoted responsible business and shown the benefits it can bring to every part on the country.

    We are nation of a thousand neighbourhoods, where our identity and our sense of belonging, all depend on what we see around us.

    When the streets are clean, and our high streets thriving – that’s good. 

    But when shops are empty and crime is rife – those are the time, people ask what’s going wrong. 

    I know that for Britain to get those good times rolling again, we need the public, private, and voluntary sectors to come together.

    So businesses – like yours – are at the heart of our communities.

    You are what make our places thrive, you are why people have pride in their hometown.

    And we know that if we are to match the ambition that people have for their hometown, our government must support more businesses like yours to get behind their community.

    That’s why community businesses are central to our Pride in Place programme. 

    Across nearly 300 of our poorest communities, we are rebuilding trust by handing power and funding to communities that have been ignored for too long.

    In total, nearly £6bn is being given to Neighbourhood Boards, made up of local people, to spend on whatever the local community believes it needs to succeed.  

    This money won’t end up in the pockets of remote consultants like in previous programmes.  

    Instead, led by the communities in charge – we’ll see this money flow directly into the heart of local high streets and towns. 

    As part of the engagement process, places like Scarborough, Mansfield and Runcorn have funded local businesses to find out the priorities of local residents – bringing economic benefits through supply chains. 

    Through the publications of their 10-year plans we are beginning to see how local tradesmen, electricians, and construction companies will be involved in new youth centres, libraries and community CCTV. 

    Just think about some of the projects being designed – like the new play space in Irvine, the new pool in Abroath and the Youth Zone they built in Wrexham. 

    Building each of these will mean more money being spent throughout supply chains and across the economy. 

    We want Pride in Place to support small businesses and we want to see Neighbourhood Boards using local suppliers wherever they can.

    Later this year we will publish guidance to make sure Neighbourhood Boards have our full support to use local suppliers and invest in local businesses.

    Business in the Community’s Place programme shows what is possible when businesses back their communities. In 19 places, they are bringing the community together to make change happen. 

    We want to build on this, and I am delighted that our Pride in Place Programme reaches communities where Business in the Community have already got to work. 

    Some areas – like Redcar and Cleveland – have a local Business in the Community representative sat on their board and I want to see that everywhere.

    And in other neighbourhoods, like Weston in Southampton, the local BITC lead is helping to reach out across the community to get more local people involved. 

    But we don’t want to stop there. 

    We will support every Board to work with local businesses and social enterprises – because those wider partnerships are how we deliver the change local people want to see, and we are already seeing the results of that.

    This programme amounts to £6bn for the most deprived communities in Britain – if we can use that to support community business, we can make this investment go so much further. 

    Working with you, Pride in Place can also be an engine for work and skills – creating a pipeline of employment that will sustain long-term regeneration. 

    Bexhill-on-sea is a great example of how this can work – they are now repurposing a town centre building as a co-working and skills hub.

    In Darwen, the local board are supporting bespoke programmes to bridge the skills gap and support scaling up. 

    And in Carlton, the community are developing a skills programme to improve the employment prospects of offenders. 

    These are only a few examples of the work under way. 

    Every neighbourhood in the programme has been selected because of deprivation – and so often that is because they lack good, decent work. 

    I still remember the day when I was younger that Dad, my Grandparents, my Aunt and my Uncle all lost their jobs when the printing industry collapsed in Watford.

    That pain they felt at being thrown on the scrapheap still lingers right across this nation’s former industrial heartlands. 

    If the Pride in Place programme is going to be a success, it must bring new employment and skills that are the pathway to a better future.

    We need this ‘change you can feel’ in every part of the country, but the Pride in Place programme can only focus on the most deprived neighbourhoods.

    Through a wider focus on these principles of place right across government, we can make sure everyone lives in an area they are proud of and they can thrive.

    Earlier this month we announced plans for a new Neighbourhood Guarantee to set out clear expectations of local, regional and national government, to bring visible improvements right to people’s doorsteps.

    The Guarantee will include clear expectations for keeping streets clean and accessing the full range of public services.

    To deliver this, we will launch a new digital tool which will show our progress in every single neighbourhood.

    The guarantee will benefit every part of the country, and that includes local businesses.

    The point is this – more attractive high streets draw people into town centres, and that means people spend more in local retailers and local hospitality venues.

    Places to be proud of creates consumer confidence, and that pushes more money through local supply chains.

    Improving how every neighbourhood looks is good for the economy, good for business, and good for communities.

    That’s why we need to guarantee minimum standards.

    This is about a recognition that Whitehall alone cannot back the pride people have in their area.

    This time we are putting it in the hands of those who know their area best and that’s the local businesses and local people who live there.

    Alongside the Pride in Place programme, we are devolving radical new powers to Mayors, councils and communities.

    They are the drivers of local economic growth, and they are the ones who create jobs and put money in people’s pockets

    The new right to request process means that Mayors have a direct route to ask for new powers – and we can then more easily devolve them.

    Already we have signed off on more powers to extend public transport and provide innovation funding.

    This will support real economic growth, bringing areas out of generational stagnation, and lifting the strain on welfare budgets.

    Our approach to high streets too will echo the pride people have in their town and their local city centres.

    The state of the local high street is one of the ways people measure whether, not just their area, but the whole country is going backwards or forwards.   

    They feel a profound sense of loss when a place they are proud of and which was thriving is now boarded up, closed down, and covered in graffiti. 

    We all know that the 20th century model of high streets isn’t coming back, but we should never settle for anything less than a future better than the past.

    Our village, town and city centres need to once again become true civic centres – the places where people go to meet friends and family.

    We need to support retail and hospitality, but also turn empty units into public services and community spaces.

    I want our high streets to be thriving – full of people spending time together.

    We need the right mix of retailers and venues on the high street.

    Right now, there are too often vape shops, bookies, and barbers shops that don’t appear to have any customers. 

    The answer to how we can renew our high streets rests in supporting good business, and clamping down on those who don’t play by the rules.

    We’ve already given councils new powers to limit the number of bookies in their areas. 

    And now we’re giving councils further powers to restrict the kind of shops that bring down an area down.

    Everyone can see organised crime has been moving onto our high streets, and yet councils have lacked the power to deal with it.   

    That changes with our new High Street Organised Crime Unit in the Home Office.

    This is about supporting businesses that are good for the community, by taking on those that are not.

    Our high streets are ecosystems – and vacant shops are bad for business.

    Through the high streets rental auctions programme, we are reducing vacancies by helping councils to forcibly take over the lease of long term vacant premises.

    This will open these spaces to new tenants – not just because taking out eyesores, but providing businesses with access to tenancies at below market rent.

    In the first year of the programme, this helped bring down vacancy rates in one of our pilot areas – Harworth & Bircotes – from 11% to just 3%.

    Just imagine if we could replicate that on every high street.

    Today I can announce an expansion of the programme with an additional £10m over the next two years, giving councils access to more refurbishment grants.

    I want all councils to use these powers and tackle vacancies.

    It’s all part of a wider plan to support local businesses to drive change in their area.

    Just this week we announced changes to the planning system to speed up decision-making.

    New regulations will let planning officers – rather than council committees –make the call on minor applications.

    This means that if shopkeepers or pub landlords want to make improvements, they’ll be able to get on with it much quicker.

    Now we have passed the landmark English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act, we also have new powers to support the hospitality industry.

    In historic city centre nightlife areas like Soho, businesses are in a constant battle with groups that intentionally try to close down local hospitality businesses and stop new venues from opening

    Through the new powers we’ve just taken, we will give the Mayor, who’s got a London-wide mandate, the ability to overrule important licensing decisions, so that hospitality venues can stay open, create jobs and provide for the millions who just want to go out and enjoy themselves.

    The future of our high streets relies on a partnership, and I know that many of you will have formed that through Business Improvement Districts.

    We want to let BIDs get on and make their area thrive.

    That is why our High Streets Strategy will also include measures to modernise the BID rule book.

    We will simplify voting procedures, strengthen transparency and accountability,  and crucially, include property owners in the process.

    This will unlock huge potential for investment.

    Across the country , businesses and BIDs have shown what they can contribute to revitalising high streets – as a government we need to support that, and show you that we are on your side.

    This is about a politics that respects people enough to back the pride they feel in their community.

    Respect for hometowns and for high streets.

    respect for the roads and the neighbourhoods that people live in.

    Partnering with business is the way that we can build that kind of politics.

    It is central to our Pride in Place programme, our Neighbourhood Guarantee, our devolution and our approach to high street regeneration.

    But it must also be a principle embedded right across government.

    I look forward to working with all of you, as we outline a radical new approach that shares the pride people have in their own community and in their own home town.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2026 Speech to UKREiiF 2026

    Matthew Pennycook – 2026 Speech to UKREiiF 2026

    The speech made by Matthew Pennycook, the Housing Minister, in Leeds on 19 May 2026.

    [This is the version issued by the Ministry of Housing with two small sections of political content redacted]

    Thank you for that kind introduction and good morning, ladies and gentlemen – it is a pleasure to join you here in Leeds.

    Since its launch four years ago, UKREiiF has gone from strength to strength.

    It is now a catalyst for significant investment and growth, generating economic activity in every part of the country including this growing and fast, dynamic city, and the wider West Yorkshire region.

    As a domestic forum for discussion, networking and deal making between investors, developers and local authorities looking to shape the future of our towns, cities and regions, it is now unrivalled.

    And for those looking to attract global capital, and, dare I say it, government ministers whose diaries don’t always lend themselves to intense four-day events in the Mediterranean, it arguably now surpasses its overseas rivals.

    I want to thank everyone involved in organising this annual event, including the City Council and various partners, for all they have done to make it the success that it is.

    I’m here at UKREiiF today to discuss what more can be done to secure investment; drive regeneration; and accelerate development in every part of the country.

    To exchange views about how together, we can tackle the housing crisis, support economic growth and ensure that the real estate, property and infrastructure sectors flourish.

    And I come with a simple message: this [Political content removed] government arrived in office with a bold and comprehensive plan to build the homes and infrastructure the country needs.

    We are faithfully executing that plan.

    It is beginning to bear fruit.

    And while the headwinds are undoubtedly growing stronger, we are going to stay the course and finish the job.

    Uninformed critics will no doubt decry my reference to stronger headwinds as an attempt to deflect blame for early falls in housing delivery that I can assure all of you were fully expected and anticipated in opposition.

    But everyone in this room will know that the very real challenges that the sector has experienced over recent years – rising interest rates, significant increases in building materials costs, and dampened buyer demand – have been exacerbated by the global turbulence of recent months.

    I want you to know that the Secretary of State and I are acutely aware of the more uncertain environment in which you are now operating.

    We also appreciate that your present challenges follow a series of housing market downturns, the scars of which your cash reserves, supply chains and project pipelines still bear.

    Where compatible with our objectives as a government, we remain committed to doing everything we can to reduce development risks and associated transaction costs so that you can get on and build.

    But it is only together that we can successfully navigate these tumultuous times, working in partnership to create a housing system that is more resilient to economic shocks of the kind produced by the conflict in the Gulf.

    The case for fundamentally transforming the housing system that we inherited is unarguable.

    By any metric, it has been an abject failure.

    As I’ve argued many times, in many different parts of the country: the crisis of housing availability, affordability and quality that that system has produced is blighting lives and hampering economic growth and productivity.

    That is why, as a government, we set ourselves the task of reforming this failing system root and branch.

    Over recent days, I’ve listened with some amusement to colleagues claim that we arrived in government underprepared and lacking clarity of vision and direction.

    When it comes to housing and planning, nothing could be further from the truth.

    We used every waking moment in opposition to develop a bold and comprehensive plan – one that over the past twenty-two and a half months has allowed us to undertake the most rapid, holistic and radical overhaul of the housing and planning system in decades.

    Within six months of taking office, you will know that we published a revised National Planning Policy Framework.

    Through it, we restored and raised mandatory housing targets; strengthened brownfield land policy; and introduced a modernised, strategic approach to Green Belt land designation and release.

    The Office for Budget Responsibility have estimated that these changes alone will boost GDP by £6.8 billion by 2029/30 and will lead to the highest level of housebuilding in 40 years.

    In December last year, we built on those initial revisions, publishing for consultation a wholly restructured Framework.

    This modified NPPF incorporates new clear and rules-based national policies for both plan and decision-making and includes new policies such as a permanent presumption in favour of suitably located development and a “default yes” for suitable proposals that develop land around rail stations.

    In the same month, our landmark Planning and Infrastructure Act received Royal Assent.

    This Act is already enabling us to speed up and streamline the delivery of new homes and critical infrastructure, not least by allowing the dismissal of legal challenges to DCOs that are ‘totally without merit’.  

    Once we have switched on the Act in its entirety, including overhauling the consenting process for critical infrastructure; our new Nature Restoration Fund; new mechanisms for cross-boundary strategic planning; and the modernisation of planning committees, we estimate that this single piece of legislation could boost GDP by up to £7.5 billion over the next decade.

    Having received the final report of the independent New Towns Taskforce in September last year, we launched a public consultation in March on our proposed New Towns Programme.

    The large-scale new communities that this will create will make a significant contribution to meeting housing need across England and support economic growth by releasing the productive potential of our constrained towns and cities.

    The programme is an integral part of our plans to boost innovation, quality and competition in housebuilding.

    Given the critical importance of boosting the supply of social and affordable housing for meeting housing need, sustaining the wider development pipeline and supporting timely build out, we have delivered the biggest boost to grant funding in a generation through our £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme and we’ve given Registered Providers the regulatory certainty and stability they need to quickly ramp up investment in existing and new stock.

    And that is not all.

    On arriving in office, we quickly established a New Homes Accelerator that has helped remove blockages and speed up the building of over 130,000 homes across England…

    We have created a new, permanent National Housing Bank backed by £16 billion of new financial capacity…

    We are putting in place a new plan-making system and taking concerted action to drive up local plan coverage…

    We are progressing a range of policy and regulatory easements to help small and medium sized housebuilders thrive and grow and thereby diversify our housebuilding market…

    We have allocated almost £100 million of investment to support local planning authorities with capacity and capability…

    We have invested over £600 million in training tens of thousands of new construction workers.

    We’re reforming the Building Safety Regulator established by the previous government to improve its operations and processes.

    I could easily go on ladies and gentlemen.

    My point in reeling off this long list is a simple one: no government in living memory has done more to tackle the country’s housing and infrastructure deficit than the one I am proud to be a member of.

    While much has been done, there obviously remains much more to do as we strive to hit our incredibly stretching target of 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament.

    We do need to finalise a range of legislative and policy measures.

    We have to publish a final, revised NPPF, and we will do so this summer.

    We have to bring into force our new National Scheme of Delegation, and we will lay the required regulations in the coming weeks.

    We have to consult on the first of our Environmental Delivery Plans concerning nutrient pollution and we will do so in the coming months.

    We must reform the role of statutory consultees in the planning system, and we will announce the outcome of our consultation on this matter before the summer recess.

    Yet, the focus of my Department has now turned very firmly towards ensuring the new system delivers.

    Among other things that means a renewed emphasis on removing ‘grit’ from the planning process to ensure that the application journey is as fast and easy as possible, and it also means a greater focus on what more we can do to support consented sites that are struggling.

    Our New Homes Accelerator will play a crucial role in this effort.

    It has already unblocked and accelerated the delivery of scores of large sites that were encountering significant delays or obstacles – providing planning advice, technical assistance, and brokering across government, including with stat cons.

    To take just two examples:

    At Hampden Fields in Buckinghamshire, engagement with the Environment Agency through the NHA enabled all flood risk activity permits to be promptly issued and the first homes are now being occupied.

    At Langley in the West Midlands, the NHA provided funding for technical support for site design that will enable the project to deliver homes more efficiently.

    Across the country, the NHA is currently supporting 28 sites, and we’ve expanded the scope of the sites that it can now support.

    New sites, like Northwest Sittingbourne in Kent and Benthall Grange in Shropshire, are continuously being added and the NHA online portals remain permanently open for any projects that might require support.

    Homes England, as the government’s principal housing delivery arm, also has a critical role to play in accelerating development and ramping up housing supply.

    Under the leadership of Pat Ritchie and Amy Rees, it is delivering.

    In the last financial year, the Agency supported the completion of over 40,000 homes and leveraged £22.6 billion of private sector investment.

    Under its new regional operating model, it is working more closely than ever with local leaders to support housing delivery including Richard and our partners in the West Midlands who will launch the Birmingham East Mayoral Development Corporation at this event later this morning.

    The Agency is also integral to the delivery of important initiatives such as our Small Sites Aggregator and building on the pilots in Bristol, Lewisham, and Sheffield, I am pleased today to confirm its national rollout.

    The initiative will unlock dormant, unviable small brownfield sites and through the forging of new partnerships between the public and private sector will attract investment to use them to build 10,000 social rent homes a year.

    And to further support communities build new homes and drive innovation, I can announce today that we are working with 23 ambitious local authorities to co-develop a pattern book of standard house designs which we intend to publish by the end of the year.

    These designs will help unlock economies of scale to support investment in MMC, remove barriers for SME developers, and help local authorities deliver homes on small sites they own.

    Ladies and gentlemen let me finish by saying this…

    As a government, we have been clear that we refuse to accept the stagnation and decline that we were bequeathed.

    As a country we enjoy world leading expertise in engineering, construction, planning, design, finance and project management.

    We have a well known tendency to downplay our strengths but the quality of some of our placemaking is second to none.

    We have it in our power, in other words, to lead the world when it comes to urban development and regeneration.

    And yet our full potential remains unfulfilled.

    When it comes to housing and infrastructure, unlike [Political content removed], we have been prepared to will the means as well as the ends and to bear the opprobrium of those content with a failing status quo.

    But getting Britain building again is not in the gift of ministers alone. Much as I wish it were otherwise.

    It requires every part of industry to play its part.

    Now we know things are incredibly tough right now.

    We want you to be frank with us about the challenges you face, and what might be done to help you overcome them.

    If you share our objectives, we want to support you in any way we can. 

    But we also need your help because it is only together that we can ensure that our country enjoys high and sustainable rates of housebuilding and world class infrastructure provision in the years ahead.

    And I very much look forward to continuing to work with you all in pursuit of that aim.

    Thank you for listening.

  • James Cleverly – 2026 Comments on Illegal Traveller Camp at Willows Green

    James Cleverly – 2026 Comments on Illegal Traveller Camp at Willows Green

    The comments made by James Cleverly, the Conservative MP for Braintree, on 3 May 2026.

    This weekend, construction began on an unauthorised traveller site in Willows Green in my constituency, timed to exploit the gap in enforcement over the bank holiday.

    There is already fencing and groundworks and work has gone on until late into the night.

    This is a deliberate tactic and it is happening across the country. The current system is not working.

    I have written to the Housing Secretary, demanding answers and calling on the Government to adopt the Conservative Party’s five-point plan to fix the enforcement framework once and for all.

    This has to stop.

    I have also written to Uttlesford District Council and Essex Police about this.

  • Angela Rayner – 2025 Speech at the Convention of the North

    Angela Rayner – 2025 Speech at the Convention of the North

    The speech made by Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, in Preston on 28 February 2025.

    Thank you everyone, it’s an absolute pleasure to be here at the Convention of the North again.

    I apologise if I go too Northern for you, but it’s good to be back in this region, and it is great to be here in Preston.

    A year ago, I was stood in front of this same Convention at Leeds Dock – talking about the change this country so desperately needs.  A lot has changed!

    But just like last year, we’re meeting today on the spot of real Northern success.

    For two centuries, this university has opened its doors. Not just for students across the country, but for the people of the proud city too.

    Over those last two centuries, this mill town – just like the rest of the North – has seen entire industries rise and fall.

    Today, as I look out towards our fantastic Northern leaders, businesses and innovators, I want you to know that I am determined to fight for a future that’s brighter and more ambitious.

    Just over 6 months ago, this government was elected to deliver change. I know that the North is as impatient as anyone for that change – as I am too.

    The gears of change haven’t always been well-oiled, in fact, a decade of decline has seen them rusted.  As you work to improve the places you call home, you’re being resisted by a system that hoards power and investment away from where it needs to be – making regional inequalities worse, and not better.

    The truth is that for all the promises of levelling up, central government’s first instinct is too often to hoard power and hold our economy back.  Too many decisions affecting too many people are made by too few.  I’m here to help you break that system, and build a fairer one in its place.

    Last year I promised this Convention that I would be a Deputy Prime Minister for the North. And working with many of you sat here today, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far.

    We’ve taken a hammer to business-as-usual in Whitehall, and within days of getting into government, Labour Secretaries of State were giving up newly won powers for the sake of our towns and cities, with the Prime Minister leading the charge.  It has not been comfortable!  But it wasn’t supposed to be.  After all, we are undergoing a generational power shift from Whitehall to the town hall.

    We’re putting support for business at the heart of this with funding rolled into integrated settlements. An Office for Investment working with mayors to develop funding opportunities and regional innovation funding.

    In just six short months we are on track to complete devolution in the North.  This means decisions for the North, will be made by the North. So that Northerners will no longer be dictated to from Whitehall.   And this change will be irreversible.  And that’s important, because I know first-hand that decisions are made best by those with skin in the game.

    That’s what our English Devolution White Paper is all about. Nothing less than a total rewiring of power in England.  For all the techy talk of devolution, the goal is simple:  We will give mayors the power to drive growth, to use new levers over planning, housing and regeneration to Get Britain Building.

    We are ending the begging bowl culture and giving local leaders flexibility over their spending. For the first time in British history, we have created a department-style integrated settlement giving Mayor Parker and Mayor Burnham over a billion pounds in flexible funding.

    And next year, I am delighted that Liverpool, the North East, and South and West Yorkshire will all follow. This will be a game-changer for families across England, giving mayors the freedom and flexibility to make the right decisions for their place.

    And you only need to look at what our Northern mayors are already achieving, to see why this is so important. Just look at Mayor Brabin’s SME Graduate Scheme, keeping homegrown talent in West Yorkshire, and her investment in bus routes getting people to work quicker and cheaper.

    Or Mayor Coppard’s Pathways to Work Commission, putting 10,000 residents in South Yorkshire back to work.  In York and North Yorkshire, Mayor Skaith is investing millions in high streets, supporting local business to thrive.  Mayor Rotherham is bringing award-winning TV and film productions to Liverpool, with investment in new studios.

    The success of our Northern mayors doesn’t stop there. In Greater Manchester, Mayor Burnham’s Bee Network is making it simpler and more affordable to get the bus and tram.  And further north, Mayor McGuinness has set up the first mayoral child support poverty reduction unit to support families across the North East.

    A future for the North, built by those that call it home. Uniting under the banner of Great North and a vision for a new era of Northern cooperation. This isn’t about pitting place against place.  This is about understanding what our towns and cities can achieve together. It’s about releasing Britain’s untapped potential.

    And don’t underestimate the effect of Cabinet Ministers having mayors at the end of the phone.  Let me tell you – not one of them will shy away from telling us how it is.

    It isn’t by accident that devolution sits in my department.  It is by design.  Because mayors aren’t just a helpful tool to unlock housing, transport and infrastructure, they are a critical levers in our mission of growth.

    Let me tell you why. All of you in this room are trying – like I am – to get Britain building again. Yes, building houses, but also building your business, building renewable energy, building data centres.

    All too often, we are met by a system that says: “don’t bother”. Well, I am determined to break that system.  And I am handing mayors the sledgehammer!

    Earlier this year we published a new national planning framework to break down the barriers to sustainable growth.  And today, I want to share more details on how we will go even further, in our Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

    Mayors are at the centre of our plans to build 1.5 million homes, by giving them the powers they need, mayors are an army to take on the blockers. We are backing them to work across huge regional geographies to get the job done.  It’s why we’re giving them the powers to call in applications on those large, strategic sites that will really turn the wheel on growth.

    And it’s why we’re putting grant funding for regeneration and housing in their hands. To enable mayors to deliver on their plans, we will forge a stronger partnership between them and Homes England. Over time, we will move Homes England to a more regionalised model so that the agency is even more responsive to the economic plan of an area.

    We’ve already committed to strategic authorities for the entire country – but we can’t waste any time in building the homes we desperately need. That’s why I can confirm that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill I will introduce to Parliament in the weeks ahead will allow councils without a mayor to come together and set spatial development strategies.

    This means bringing forward housebuilding powers as soon as we can.  I think there is huge potential here.  If we can get building, and boost productivity of just 11 city regions, we could add £20.5 billion each year to the Exchequer. Imagine the jobs, opportunities and growth that comes with it.

    But devolving powers is only half the plan, if we’re not matching it with investment, we won’t see the results. The history of our Northern towns and cities is one of great industrialists, and workers who grafted for something better. And it’s in that same image, that the North today can provide the growth this country needs.

    Here in Preston, people have decent jobs to be proud of – just look at the Eurofighter Typhoon programme. We cannot underestimate the impact that business investment like that can have on an area. This is a sector that is critical for our national security, and economic growth.

    Over in West Yorkshire, we’re backing the new Mass Transit Scheme with two hundred million pounds of funding to support its development. Anyone who expects the businesses of Leeds to meet their economic potential without a proper transport network needs to ask themselves why they expect the North to settle for less.

    And as we support the recreation of Doncaster-Sheffield Airport it’s the job of this government to ask how we can best support our nation’s regional airports. Teesside has shown that regional airports can prosper, and now it’s time to back South Yorkshire too.

    Up in Blyth, plans are also being delivered for Europe’s biggest AI data centre.  These projects are not just about driving growth for the sake of it but driving growth in the places where potential is greatest.  The places which once built Britain, and once again deserve to be the centres of economic and industrial excellence.

    I share the Chancellor’s determination to review the Green Book to properly recognise the potential of places across the country. This means a full review of what it means for a project to be value for money.

    Alongside this, our industrial strategy led by the Business Secretary, will see a complete rewiring of the state. The mayors’ local growth plans are the bedrock of our industrial strategy, underpinning how we drive growth in every town and city. And finally, harness the great potential of the North.

    These plans are already underway. Every mayor is working with government to align priorities. Time is of the essence, which is why we’re wasting no time in publishing local growth plans, setting out these blueprints to deliver the manufacturing and green jobs of the future.

    That’s only part of our efforts to rebalance the economy. My Department and the Treasury are working with all strategic mayors with expert units laser-focused on unlocking devolution opportunities in skills, transport, and business support.

    And as we kickstart growth, it is only right that the workers who fuel the economy, get back what they put in. This government’s Employment Rights Bill means the biggest upgrade to rights at work in a generation. A bill that takes the very best standards from the very best businesses – and extends it to millions more workers.

    We are clear – better living standards is our number one mission. And we will succeed in our mission when working people can contribute to growth and benefit fairly from it. In some of the most deprived parts of the country – in places across the North – this legislation could save workers up to £600 in lost income.

    Giving people a stable income, a chance to get a mortgage, putting more money in people’s pockets which in turn can be spent on the high streets and in local businesses. Boosting town centres and local economies with regenerative effects – this is about building a new route to prosperity from the bottom up, and the middle out, not the top down.

    Managers and senior decision-makers agree that this bill will boost productivity. Which is good for workers, and good for business. We all know that treating workers decently is just what good businesses already do.  We are backing business to level the playing field so that good employers aren’t undercut. Encouraging businesses to compete on quality and innovation in a race to the top.

    Without our bill, more working days will be lost through ill-health, costing businesses money. Inaction isn’t an option.  Businesses have everything to gain from this bill but I recognise it will be a big change which is why where businesses have raised concerns we have listened. It’s why we introduced a statutory probation period.

    We want businesses to be able to hire with confidence whilst still extending new protections for workers. These are plans which are pro-business, as well as pro-worker, which is why I am hell bent on making work pay.

    And just as we’ll leave no worker behind, we’ll also be fighting for every single town, village and estate. Too many neighbourhoods have been underestimated and overlooked for too long.

    When I first stepped into government, we inherited a burnt-out shell that they called levelling up.  It promised to rebalance the North and South. But when I got into government, the truth is, the money didn’t exist.  There was this warped idea that all places needed was a lick of paint and a chess board in the park.

    We’re doing away with the sticking plaster policies of old and working towards national renewal.  To achieve that, we need to start empowering people to drive change in their communities.  And to anyone who doubts this ambition, to anyone who doubts the North, I say that our region has been underestimated and overlooked for far too long.

    This government is only giving the North what it’s owed, and what it deserves. For too long, our outdated system of council funding has been stacked against the north.  The days of Ministers expecting the North to go cap in hand ends now. That’s why with Jim McMahon, our Minister for English Devolution and Local Government, we are making simpler and clearer structures and will fix the foundations of local government. He is already beginning to replace the funding formula to give the North nearly £840 million more this year.  That brings the North’s total increase to just over 8 per cent – the biggest rise of all regions in England, by a good distance.

    If this new formula had been applied under the last government, the North would’ve seen billions more in funding. Instead, councils saw cuts of 23 per cent. So we’re starting to right that wrong.

    And we realise that every council has different needs. That’s why we’ve set aside a cash-terms increase for local government of 6.8 per cent. That’s over £69 billion for local government. All councils are facing pressures, but it’s particularly hard for those that bore the brunt of austerity. And this year’s settlement marks a clear direction of travel for the rest of the Parliament.

    But I know that the change this country needs can’t be micromanaged from Whitehall. It’s people in this room today – mayors, councillors, business owners and investors – who will drive us forward.  And as that happens, I can promise that the full force of the government will be behind you.

    Transferring power out of Westminster, getting Britain building, letting our towns and cities fire on all cylinders, doing whatever it takes to kickstart economic growth and leaving no one behind in that government-defining mission.

    Thank you.

  • Grenfell Tower Inquiry – Phase 2 Report (Executive Summary)

    Grenfell Tower Inquiry – Phase 2 Report (Executive Summary)

    The summary of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2, the executive summary, published on 4 September 2024.

    Text of Report (in .pdf format)

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2024 Speech on Planning, the Green Belt and Rural Affairs

    Sharon Hodgson – 2024 Speech on Planning, the Green Belt and Rural Affairs

    The speech made by Sharon Hodgson, the Labour MP for Washington and Gateshead South, in the House of Commons on 19 July 2024.

    It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Gordon and Buchan (Harriet Cross), who made an excellent maiden speech, which I enjoyed. I also have to mention the excellent maiden speeches from my north-east colleagues, my hon. Friend the Member for Cramlington and Killingworth (Emma Foody)—she represents a new constituency—and my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland (Sam Rushworth). I look forward to hearing more from them in the weeks, months and years to come.

    Having entered the House 19 years ago, I am honoured to have once again been elected to serve my constituents in Washington and Gateshead South—another new constituency name. It is fantastic to see so many new faces around the estate, and my door is always open if new Members, or indeed old ones, want to pop in for a bit of advice, a cup of tea, or just to see a friendly face.

    This King’s Speech ushers in a new era of government—one based on service of the people, and focused on building back trust in politics, which is greatly needed, by, as stated in the King’s Speech, adhering to

    “the principles of security, fairness and opportunity for all.”

    We will start that process by bringing in legislation to transform the rights of every worker in this country. As a trade unionist, I believe that workers must have the right to access trade union representation, as well as the repeal of the disastrous minimum service levels legislation, which failed to protect public service users and workers alike.

    We will ban all exploitative zero-hours contracts that leave people in uncertain and unstable employment. We will definitively ban fire and rehire practices, which my hon. Friend the Member for Brent West (Barry Gardiner) led the way on tackling with his excellent private Member’s Bill, which sadly did not make it. We will protect workers’ wellbeing by ending short-notice shift cancellations, and we will introduce the right to switch off, so that workers can enjoy a healthier, structured work-life balance—I think we could do with a bit of that sometimes as well. Finally, we will establish rights such as paternity pay and the right to challenge unfair dismissal as rights from day one. The basic rights of a worker are not a reward earned after years of service; they are rights from day one.

    The Government have already got the ball rolling, building on the excellent work of former Labour Governments to truly deliver devolved power. It was excellent to see that, just days after moving in, the Prime Minister welcomed all Labour and Conservative metro mayors—thankfully, they were mostly Labour—to Downing Street to discuss how to kick-start growth in all parts of the country. Nine times out of 10, local knowledge is superior to departmental control, so it is only right that we bring power back to communities.

    Among the mayors invited to meet the Prime Minister was our excellent new Mayor of the North East, Kim McGuinness, who I have worked with in my long-running campaign to reopen the Leamside line and extend the metro to Washington. I am sure that Members have all heard me say this, but Washington is one of the largest towns in the UK without a direct rail link. [Interruption.] It is. We see wasted opportunities, with people unable to travel easily for work, school or university or even to see loved ones. To quote the former Conservative Member for Sedgefield, with whom I co-chaired the Leamside line all-party parliamentary group, “Without physical mobility, there can be no social mobility”—now that he is not here, I am going to nick that line. I am pleased that, with a Labour Government and a Labour mayor, that project will at long last become a reality.

    I grew up in a council house, and my family was totally reliant on social security. Free school meals were a lifeline for us, but I know that, in many ways, it is more important to have a warm, safe and secure house; that is what saved my family more than anything else. That is why, throughout this general election campaign and when I was listening to the King’s Speech, I was so pleased to see Labour’s commitment to building 1.5 million new homes—not just houses, but social and affordable housing—based on five key principles that will enable those houses to turn into secure homes, and those homes to turn into stable and thriving communities.

    We will also deliver for our children, with policies intended to tackle childhood health and obesity head-on. Our plans to deliver free breakfast clubs in every primary school in England will ensure that kids can start school with a meal in their bellies, ready to learn. But we know that child feeding does not start and end with the school day, so we will also tackle the crisis of youth nutrition outside school by restricting the advertisement of junk food and the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children—both things I long called for when I was shadow Minister for public health for four years, and shadow Minister for children and families for four years, and as the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on school food from 2010. I could not welcome these developments more fervently. We cannot shy away from protecting our children’s health, which is why I also welcome our tobacco and vapes Bill—carrying on the work of the former Government, I have to say—to phase out smoking. That will ensure that our children live a healthier future.

    As we look to the coming years of our Government, I am excited not only to see these policies, and more, come to fruition and deliver the change that this Government were elected to bring, but to work with Members across the House to deliver these things together, because we need them for the benefit of all our constituents.

  • Harriet Cross – 2024 Maiden Speech on Planning, the Green Belt and Rural Affairs

    Harriet Cross – 2024 Maiden Speech on Planning, the Green Belt and Rural Affairs

    The maiden speech made by Harriet Cross, the Conservative MP for Gordon and Buchan, in the House of Commons on 19 July 2024.

    Thank you for calling me to speak, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is an honour to follow the hon. Member for Cramlington and Killingworth (Emma Foody)—she is clearly very proud of her roots and of what she has achieved in the area. It is lovely to follow another girl from the north-east—although in my case it is the north-east of Scotland.

    It is an incredible honour to be elected to this place to serve the great people of Gordon and Buchan. Having moved homes many times in my lifetime—more than I can remember—from Yorkshire to Ireland to Scotland and many times in between, I have seen my fair share of houses, but I can definitely say that this one will take the most getting used to. As Members are all aware, you are not a true Scottish MP if you do not proclaim that your constituency is the most beautiful, so: from the beaches of Balmedie and Newburgh through the fertile farmland of Formartine, Garioch, Huntly and Turriff, to the heights of the Correen hills and the Bennachie range, Gordon and Buchan has it all. I can tell Members in all seriousness that it really is the most beautiful constituency, and not just in Scotland but in the whole of the UK.

    Those of us who are blessed to live north of the Watford gap know that there is a direct correlation between how far north you get and being approachable and determined, having a dry sense of humour and being great company. As such, I am also delighted to say that I am the Conservative Member with the most northerly constituency.

    First, I must reflect on my predecessors, beginning with the most recent Conservative Members from the two former constituencies that have now been combined to make Gordon and Buchan: Colin Clark in Gordon and David Duguid in Banff and Buchan. Both Colin and David were embedded in our rural communities. They are unwavering champions for our region, in particular being loud, constructive and prominent voices for our farmers, fishermen and distilleries, and for the energy sector. I also want to take the opportunity to wish David Duguid and his family all the very best in his ongoing recovery.

    It would be wrong of me not to mention Malcolm Bruce, now Baron Bruce of Bennachie, who served Gordon for 22 years up until 2015. It is a show of the mark that he left on the area that his name was mentioned to me on the doorsteps many times during this election campaign, always very fondly. Finally, the former SNP Member for Gordon and my immediate predecessor, Richard Thomson, has long served the people of Gordon and Buchan and of Aberdeenshire, both in this place and on Aberdeenshire council as both leader and opposition leader. While he and I will not pretend that we see eye to eye on the means, we both agree that we want the very best for our special corner of Aberdeenshire, now and in the future.

    Much was achieved for Gordon and Buchan and the north-east of Scotland in the last Parliament. I wish to draw attention to the north-east investment zone, an £80 million investment in our region made as part of the last Conservative Government’s levelling-up agenda. It is a real investment in our area’s growth, development and potential—an investment in our future. The north-east shines with energy in every way. Indeed, the energy sector is what first brought my family to Inverurie, the largest town in Gordon and Buchan, 50 years ago this year. My grandfather, having been medically discharged from the Navy, never lost his love of service or the sea, so he channelled that love into creating in Aberdeen the International Association for Safety and Survival Training, whose courses are still used today by each and every offshore worker in our oil and gas sector. I am sure that if he were still here today he could give me some sound advice on surviving in this place.

    The energy sector powers Aberdeenshire, from direct jobs and high-skilled employment to the associated services and hospitality sectors that rely on it. To the people of Gordon and Buchan and the north-east of Scotland, the debate on the future of the oil and gas sector is not really about energy security, markets or net zero; it is about our jobs and our livelihoods. It is about knowing that we have secure employment for the years to come and that our children will not have to move away to start their career, or that the bottom will not fall out of our local economy. I cannot imagine that any hon. Member would sit here and allow their constituency’s key employment sector to be run down or conceded, and I will not do that either.

    Our rural communities are the beating heart of Gordon and Buchan. Indeed, three quarters of the land in the constituency is classed as agricultural, a fifth is forestry and only 2% is thought of as built up. If someone drops a pin on a map, it is more likely to land in a field or forest than on a house. Before being elected, I worked as a rural surveyor, meeting farmers across Aberdeenshire, many of whom I am now proud to call my constituents. As intimidating as it might be being on the Opposition side looking across at the Government Benches, that is nothing compared with sitting at a farmhouse table trying to tell farming clients that no, their farm is not worth three times what they think it is worth or that their worse-for-wear heifer will not get top figures at next week’s sale.

    I am delighted that my first contribution in the House is in this rural affairs debate. I know, and my constituents know, that rural living is unique, rewarding and, in my opinion, far superior to urban life. We also know that it is not all about green fields, welly boots and labradors, idyllic as that might sound. The reality is locals waiting in villages such as Fyvie, Auchleven and New Deer for the only bus of the day, which never arrives. It is the only healthcare facilities for many miles closing down. It is children having to move away to build their career. It is poor-quality, unsuitable roads. Or it is the lack of housing, or houses without gas, poor broadband and no phone coverage.

    We in the UK quite rightly hold our rural landscapes up in lights: our green and pleasant lands, which bring ecological benefits as well as much-needed tourism to remote areas. But rural communities are not there solely to be an escape or plaything for others; they are where my constituents make their homes and livelihoods, and where they grow up and grow old. We need tailored policies for our rural communities that help industries such as farming and food and drink producers, and the numerous small and medium-sized enterprises across Gordon and Buchan that bring so much not just to the immediate area but to the region and to the UK as a whole. Yes, we are less densely populated and yes, understandably, we have less choice in services and on where to find work, but we have no less aspiration.

    I am proud to have been sent here by the people of Gordon and Buchan to represent them, to fight for them, and always to keep their interests at the top of the agenda.