Labour is fixing housing totals to make sure fewer homes are built in areas where Labour voters live, Shadow Housing Secretary Kevin Hollinrake (main image) has claimed.

He told a news TV channel that Labour is ‘gerrymandering’ local housing quotas to make sure more new housing is put up in cities where they are strong, rather than in rural areas.

They are switching housing targets from cities.”

Hollinrake, who is a former estate agent having co-founded Hunters, told GB News: “They really are gerrymandering where these houses are going.

“They are switching housing targets from cities, so you see London with a 11% cut, and Coventry 55%.

“And then you see many rural areas like Westmoreland with a nearly 500% increase, Wyre 100% increase and New Forest 100% increase.”

Only half for private sale

He then went on to stress that new houses must be for sale, especially for young people. Only half of the new homes built under the Labour Government will be for private sale, it was revealed recently.

Figures from Savills and the National Housing Federation (NHF) showed that of the more than 1.5 million houses planned over the next five years, around 750,000 will be for social housing tenants.

‘Too ambitious’

Prime Minister Keir Starmer repeated his party’s pledge to deliver 1.5 million new homes even though he admitted himself it was probably “too ambitious”.

While Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said that reaching the homes target was proving harder than he thought before Labour came to power.

Rebellion

And Labour could be facing a rebellion in its own party over plans to force councils to build houses.

The leader of a Labour-run council in Lancashire warned the Government they are on a collision course over the “impossible and unrealistic” targets.

Yvonne Gagen, Leader of West Lancashire Council, said the council’s new housing target is now 605, up from 166.