Deputy PM and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner writes for The Mirror about Labour’s Spending Review plans – and the significance of a £39billion investment in affordable housing
Next month we’ll be celebrating the 80th anniversary of Clement Attlee’s government and its transformation of Britain.
From the devastation of war, this great Labour legend built a country that worked for working people. His proud legacy – homes for heroes, our NHS, a modern welfare state – lives on.
And now, after 14 chaotic years of failure and neglect, this Labour government is delivering in the same spirit – with a Spending Review that invests in Britain’s renewal. That means more decisive action to tackle the housing crisis that has held so many people back and, with it, our country.
As the Chancellor says, our first job was to stabilise the economy and public finances; then turn the page and bring the change that British people both need and deserve.
We won’t deliver on our growth ambitions, or meet our target to build 1.5 million homes this Parliament, without building much more social and affordable housing. Rachel is giving affordable and social housing the biggest boost in a generation – with £39billion over 10 years.
For hard-working people needing a roof over their head, it spells security and hope. For builders and councils, it gives confidence to invest and plan for the future.
And it’s not just more homes. The Chancellor’s investments in wider national renewal mean more jobs and more growth for Britain. Not that the other parties want that.
They opposed every penny raised to fix our roads, build our hospitals and defend our country.
Reform and the Conservatives would gamble with Britain’s future – Labour is investing in Britain’s future!
We know what matters most. From my own life, I know that a secure, affordable home is not a luxury or a ‘nice to have’. With decent work and a strong community, it’s the bedrock on which everything stands firm.
Growing up, my family didn’t have a lot, but we did have our council home. And, when I was raising my son, social housing gave me the stability and security I needed. So I haven’t got where I am in spite of coming from a council house, but because of it.
For too many working people today, though, these building blocks are missing. The housing crisis has blighted the lives of everyone in this country, one way or another.
On this inherited crisis, we are turning the tide. For years, social housing was the word that dared not speak its name in Westminster. Now it’s front and centre.
Admittedly, our 1.5million new homes target is stretching. But what’s the point of an easy target?
In 1945, critics said Attlee was aiming too high. He proved them wrong.
To the doubters today, I say this: underestimate me at your peril. I’ve fought my whole life for working people – I know what it takes to get things done and we’re not here to make excuses.
We’re here to invest in the people of this country. With our plan for housing and infrastructure, as part of our Plan for Change, we’re not just building homes, we’re rebuilding hope. Britain is getting its future back.