The Tories need to get their house in order over building targets

More homes for more people would do the Conservatives no harm in the polls, writes Sean O’Grady

A new housing estate under construction in Ashford, Kent (PA)

One of the curiosities of the government is that it often knows what to do in the national interest, and what would serve it best electorally, but simply cannot find a way of achieving it. Nowhere is this more apparent than in housing.

In the 2019 manifesto, as part of the “levelling-up agenda”, the Tories promised 300,000 new homes a year would be built. Even allowing for the pandemic, progress has been unsatisfactory. After the Awaab Ishak tragedy, the minister responsible for housing, Michael Gove, has gone on a mission to improve social housing. The government has the best of intentions.

Yet the drive for new and better homes is perpetually stymied by Conservative backbenchers rebelling against housing targets and planning reforms. It is simple Nimbyism, and it has happened again, with a delay to a crucial vote on the latest legislation. Nearly 50 rebels, led by former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers, are backing a plan to ban mandatory targets in England. They contend that government-set targets are excessive and undermine local councils.