Politics Weekly UK Will Labour’s spending squeeze kill its big housing promise? – Politics Weekly UK
Jun 5, 2025
Kiran Stacey, a political correspondent for The Guardian, and Jessica Murray, a social affairs correspondent for The Guardian, dive into the pressing housing crisis in the UK. They discuss Labour's ambitious pledge to build 1.5 million homes and the risks threatening this promise. The duo analyzes the growing internal struggles within Labour amid looming spending cuts and critiques the disparity between luxury developments and actual housing needs. They also reflect on the government's disarray and the potential lessons Labour could learn from political messaging strategies.
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Labour's 1.5M Homes Pledge Doubt
- Labour's target to build 1.5 million new homes is in serious doubt due to inadequate funding from the Treasury.
- The £2 billion annual Affordable Homes Programme has not been sufficiently increased to meet this ambition.
Grenfell Meeting Reveals Anger
- At a public meeting near Grenfell, Jessica witnessed intense anger about poor social housing conditions.
- People shared experiences like pregnancy struggles due to broken lifts and mold-afflicted homes causing health issues.
Post-Thatcher Social Housing Collapse
- Social housing construction dramatically collapsed after Margaret Thatcher's era with local authorities stopping building and selling stock.
- Housing associations have not compensated by building enough social homes, worsening the housing crisis.