Angela Rayner appointed housing secretary

In its manifesto, the Labour Party committed to building 1.5 million new homes by 2029, as well as reforming the planning system, delivering a Warm Homes Plan to upgrade the energy efficiency of five million homes and developing a national industrial strategy to drive economic growth.

The built environment welcomed the new government after Labour’s landslide victory last week where it won 411 seats in parliament and saw the Liberal Democrats and the Greens get record numbers of MPs. The Conservatives gained 121 seats – down 244 from 365 it won in the 2019 general election. However, voter turnout is estimated to have been 60%, the lowest since 2001’s 59.4%.

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) said it is looking forward to working with the new government to fulfil Labour’s manifesto pledges to build new homes, reform planning, and improve home energy efficiency.

Director for policy, external affairs and research at CIOB, Eddie Tuttle, said: “A new government offers the opportunity to build new relationships with policymakers and help them understand the challenges and opportunities for the sector. 

“The construction sector is reliant on stability, and we urge the Labour government to ensure consistency and longevity with policymaking and its communications with industry.”