UK Housing Minister Angela Rayner Reaffirms 1.5M Home Target Despite Challenges

Angela Rayner, newly re‑appointed Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary under Prime Minister Andy Burnham, said she will keep the Labour target of delivering 1.5 million new homes by 2029. In a Radio 4 interview she likened the goal to running the London Marathon in under five hours, acknowledging the difficulty but pledging to “fight like hell” to achieve it.

The government has built fewer than 300,000 homes in the first two years of its term, far short of the rate required to meet the ambition. Rayner noted that higher construction costs and a slowdown in the sector are major obstacles. She dismissed plans for new rent controls and emphasized that the Renters’ Rights Act is already having an impact. Industry observers call for stamp‑duty reform, stronger planning rules and greater council cooperation to close the delivery gap.