Teresa Villiers: «Keir Starmer got it wrong on this one, but his latest stance is to move on with mandatory goals, and this will inevitably mean… the loss of green space and valuable rural character.” Photo: Julian Simmonds
Rishi Sunak is due to criticize the Labor Party for its plans to build houses after the Conservative failure of local elections, MPs said.
Teresa Villiers, a leading Tory planning rebel, said that the issue should be «a new front against Labour» as she warned that Sir Keir Starmer's plans would mean «improper development and loss of green space and valuable rural character».
More than 1,000 Conservative seats went to Labor, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens on Friday, exceeding Tory worst-case scenario and raising fears of a Labor victory in the general election.
Though Labor regained many seats in the so-called Red Wall in the north of England, the Conservatives have also seen falling support in some of the Tory heartlands, including Windsor and Maidenhead.
Conservative MPs who have campaigned on planning issues are meeting this week to discuss how the government should change its housing tactics to attract the «nimble» voters targeted by Labor.
Sir Keir Starmer plans to reintroduce housing targets for local authorities. Photo: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Getty
Nimby cites voters who object to loosening planning laws to make it harder for residents to object to new developments.
Sir Keir's plans include reintroducing housing targets for local authorities after Michael Gove abandoned the idea amid a planned Tory uprising.
Ms Villiers said: “I think we should hold Labor accountable for their proposal. which can undermine local decision-making and local control over planning.
“Keir Starmer is wrong on this point, but his latest stance is to move forward with binding targets, and that will inevitably mean more inappropriate development and the loss of green space and valuable rural character. This could be a new front against Labour.
«By reconnecting with some of the voters we clearly lost in this council election, we must point out very big differences.
«We are Conservation Party — that's our name — we recognize the importance of protecting our green spaces in the natural environment.»
'Building bonanza'
This came after Sir Keir was accused of «targeting the countryside to build prosperity» as rural campaigners said the party's decision to reinstate the goals «causes concern and needs clarification.”
The Telegraph understands the party plans to keep existing green space protections in place, but the reintroduction of housing targets has spooked rural campaigners who say building large rural developments should not be the solution to the housing crisis.
Shabana Mahmood, Sir Keir's campaign director, suggested the policy was designed to prevent local residents from blocking construction near them.
But Tom Fiance, director of campaigns and policy for CPRE, a rural charity, said his concern is not the number of houses they plan to build, but where they plan to put them.»
«Constant lobbying by major developers for new land and green space obscures the fact that space for 1.2 million homes is readily available on abandoned sites in need of regeneration,” he said.
“Proposals made last weekend that the new Labor government would like to «abolish the system whereby people can block housing in their area» is worrying and needs to be clarified.
“Small-scale construction of truly affordable homes will be welcomed and needed by rural communities. But targeting the countryside for luxury homes that most people can't afford would be counterproductive and highly unpopular.»
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The Liberal Democrats yesterday celebrated gains in the countryside and joked that Greg Hands, the chairman of the Conservative Party, had a «Midas touch» because many of the districts he visited during the campaign voted for Sir Ed Davey's party instead.
The Liberal Democrats said they achieved success in 13 of the 14 boroughs in the Blue Wall that Mr Hands visited.
Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the party, told The Telegraph: «Greg Hands has a Midas touch almost everywhere he visits , becomes the gold of the Liberal Democrats
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«He was brought in to reinforce the Blue Wall, but in the end he saw it collapse even more.»
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