Labour admits ‘steep' rise in housebuilding needed to hit UK target
Housebuilding will have to double within two years to hit Labour's target of 1.5 million homes, ministers have acknowledged.
Britain will have to build 374,000 homes a year from 2027, official estimates say, the first time the government has put yearly figures on a goal that is central to Sir Keir Starmer's push for growth.
Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, insisted the government was 'on track' to hit the target, promising 'very, very high' rates of building at the end of the parliament, likened by government sources to a 'hockey stick' chart. But many experts are sceptical, pointing to shortages of construction workers as well as delays in the planning system.
Last year just 184,390 homes were completed, and construction began on only 132,460, figures
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