Author Archives: GovWorldMag

Ahead of the Budget tomorrow, Labour has revealed that no new ‘starter homes’ have been built in three years, despite the Conservatives’ promise to build 200,000 of them.

‘Starter homes’ are a flagship Conservative commitment to first-time buyers, first announced in December 2014. In the Conservatives’ 2015 manifesto, they promised to build 200,000 starter homes but none have so far been built.

In addition to the lack of progress on building starter homes, analysis from Labour shows that the number of new low-cost homes to buy has halved since 2010. There are now 58,000 fewer affordable homes for first-time buyers than if building levels had continued at the level left by Labour.

Labour is challenging the Chancellor to use tomorrow’s Budget to reverse this abysmal record on house-building and to ensure that promised homes are actually built.

John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, said:

“If hot air built homes, Conservative Ministers would have fixed our housing crisis. Three years after they pledged a big new programme of ‘starter homes’ for first-time buyers, not a single one has been built.

“Meanwhile, the number of home-owners under 45 has fallen by 904,000 since 2010 and the number of low-cost homes to buy has halved.

“The Chancellor must use the Budget to reverse this abysmal record and ensure that the homes they pledge are actually built. No more broken promises.

“The next Labour government will build 100,000 genuinely affordable homes to rent and buy a year, and help first-time buyers with first-dibs on new homes for local people, a new generation of discounted FirstBuy Homes, and a cut in stamp duty on their first home.”

Emily Thornberry MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary, commenting on the UK losing its place on the International Court of Justice for the first time in its 71 year history, said:

“While we congratulate our friends in India on maintaining their place on the International Court of Justice, it remains a shocking indictment of Britain’s declining international standing that, for the first time in the history of the court, it will now be without a British judge. Theresa May and Boris Johnson like to proclaim their dream of a ‘Global Britain’, but here in the real world, her weak leadership and his repeated gaffes have left our country increasingly isolated and ignored.

“Only a Labour Government, which will restore values and principles to our foreign policy, and build bridges with our international partners, will allow us to recover our global influence, and re-take our rightful place as a leading player at the United Nations.”