Before election, Sunak recommits to housing promises

London, July 25: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recommitted on Monday to promises to boost homebuilding by the next election to tackle a lack of housing stock that has alienated many younger voters who pay high rents and are unable to buy. With a national election expected next year, Sunak’s governing Conservatives have witnessed a collapse of support among younger voters, who are frustrated at being priced out of owning their own homes and are struggling with high childcare costs. Housing has long been a contentious area for the Conservatives. Some of its lawmakers in rural areas do not want to see an increase in building while those in more urban regions want more homes built quickly. Sunak and his housing minister Michael Gove said they would concentrate new house building in urban areas while protecting the countryside. “Today I can confirm that we will meet our manifesto commitment to build 1 million homes over this parliament,” Sunak told reporters, using a term that refers to the time between the 2019 election and the next vote. “We won’t do that by concreting over the countryside – our plan is to build the right homes where there is the most need and where there is local support, in the heart of Britain’s great cities.” Earlier this month, a parliamentary committee said the government was on track to deliver 1 million new homes by the next election, but was not forecast to deliver another promise to build 300,000 net new homes per year by the mid-2020s, largely because of uncertainty over planning policy reform. On Monday, Gove recommitted to the 300,000 net new homes pledge, which excludes housing replacing existing residences. The opposition Labour Party, which is way ahead in the opinion polls, has said that it will “back the builders, not the blockers” as it seeks to reform the planning system to improve housebuilding rates, including in rural areas as appropriate. Gove said the long-term plan for housing underpinned the government’s plan for e