Labour’s new Housing Secretary Steve Reed (pictured) has called England’s latest planning application figures “unacceptable” and has announced a building acceleration package after data revealed a drop in applications that threatens to derail the Government’s 1.5 million new homes target.

The data, from the Ministry of Housing, shows planning applications received fell by 5% to 80,400 in the second quarter of 2025, with approvals hitting their lowest quarterly level since records began in 1979.

It is the first big challenge for Reed since taking over from Angela Rayner after she was forced to resign for underpaying the Stamp Duty on her Hove flat.

Reed told The Independent: “I will leave no stone unturned to build 1.5 million homes, so families have the key to home ownership in their hands.”

With my leadership, the Government will go further and faster to get Britain building.”

“With my leadership, the Government will go further and faster to get Britain building. It’s time to build, baby, build.”

Reed‘s acceleration package will overhaul the Building Safety Regulator’s performance and see him work directly with London Mayor Sadiq Khan after the Capital recorded England’s lowest application approval rate at just 83%.

Biggest housebuilding era in history

He insisted his reforms would deliver, “The biggest era of house building in our country’s history”.

However, the Resolution Foundation warns just 221,000 dwellings were approved in the year to June 2025 – down 7% and the lowest level since 2014.

And Shadow Housing Secretary Sir James Cleverly says: “Labour are failing people who need homes. They’re killing the market with taxes, over-regulation and economic incompetence.”

Adding that, “Labour-run authorities are making things worse – Sadiq Khan’s London has the lowest average of planning decisions granted in the whole of England.”