Steve Reed defends Labour's 1.5m homes target as stretching but not impossible

Steve Reed has defended Labour's target of building 1.5 million homes, calling it a stretching but not impossible ambition during an interview at the Labour Party Conference.

He was asked how many new homes had been built since Labour took power. Reed said he did not have the exact figure and added that he was not Wikipedia, saying he was there to talk about policy rather than every statistic in the housing sector.

Pressed on whether Labour would miss the 1.5 million target, after Andy Burnham's announcement on right to buy and a claim from Kevin McGuire that Labour would not meet it, Reed said: 'It's a very stretching target but it's not impossible although it's very tough.' He said the figure was up to about 500,000 homes and that the pace had to speed up. He said planning laws had been changed because they were a barrier to development, and those changes are now in place.

Reed said developers had told him they need a demand stimulus to help people who need a deposit to buy their first home. People cannot afford to put money down for a property, he said, which stops developers building. He welcomed a recent announcement as fantastic news, saying it was something he had pushed for with the Treasury when in government and that developers were delighted.

On empty homes, Reed said some are in areas without many jobs, while councils have funding to buy empty homes back into use and housing associations can turn them into social housing. He rejected state seizure of privately owned empty properties as unacceptable and 'a bit Soviet', but said tax or council tax measures could incentivise owners to occupy homes in areas of high demand and low supply.

The interview also touched on Labour's internal politics, including Angela Rayner's criticism of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood over indefinite leave to remain, but the housing exchange focused on the government's targets and plans.