Angela Rayner on BBC Breakfast (Image: BBC)
Angela Rayner has suggested Labour might break its manifesto promise to build 1.5 million new homes.
The Housing Secretary, who was sacked from Sir Keir’s cabinet for tax dodging, admitted the target is “a really difficult challenge” when quizzed on it on Friday.
Speaking to the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the former Deputy Prime Minister said: “It certainly got more challenging, and we’ve seen things like construction costs go up etc, which has had a real negative impact on that.
“But I’m not dropping it. I’m just saying that it is a really difficult stretched target.”
Pressed further, she said: “Yeah, I’m going to keep the target, but it’s like me saying I’m going to run the London Marathon in under five hours.
“That would be a real challenge for me, but I’d do it… Look, I am straight-talking.
“One-point-five million homes is a difficult target. It was when I made the target, but I’m going to keep the target, and I’m not going to be defeated.”
England saw 208,600 new homes built in 2024/25, a 6% fall on the previous year and the lowest annual total since 2015/16, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing Labour’s pledge to deliver 1.5 million homes during this parliament.
Since Labour entered government in July 2024, around 392,400 net additional homes have been delivered, leaving ministers running at roughly two-thirds of the rate required to hit their goal by 2029.
Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said: “In a car crash interview… Angela Rayner admitted Labour are going to let people down and break another election promise.
“She said that building 1.5 million homes is like running a marathon under five hours – she’ll give it a go, but may not do it.
“She insists people shouldn’t underestimate her. But when she was last in post the number of homes granted planning permission fell to the lowest level in over a decade.
‘The circus rolls on…”
Ms Rayner, who returned to Government under Andy Burnham on Monday, also ruled out bringing in rent controls to help with the cost of living.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told reporters on Monday that he was considering rent freezes as part of a package of measures, but said no final decisions had been made.
Ms Rayner said changes made through renters’ rights legislation brought in under Labour so far are “already having a significant impact on the market”.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she said: “We won’t be looking at rent controls if that’s what you’re getting at at the moment.
“That is not something that we’re looking to do because we’ve seen what’s happened in areas like Scotland. It hasn’t necessarily brought rents down.”
She pointed to changes that allow people to challenge rent hikes at tribunals and stop bidding wars for rented properties, saying: “I think that’s a better way of stabilising the rental market.”
Rent controls can come in the form of caps on how much rent can be charged or freezing them for a period of time.
Mr Burnham backed a call three years ago as mayor of Greater Manchester for a freeze on private sector rents until the cost-of-living crisis is over.
Asked if he stood by it, Ms Rayner said: “I don’t think that rent freezes, rent controls, is a way forward at the moment.
“Three years ago Andy called for that because there was a significant crisis in the rental market.
“We implemented between then the Renters’ Rights Act which is giving renters more power and control.”