UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailWatch live as Rishi Sunak is questioned by parliament’s select committee chairs regarding global affairs, economic issues, COP28 and energy concerns.It comes after the prime minister ruled out the prospect of a general election in 2025, telling a gathering of journalists in Downing Street that the UK will go to the polls next year.Under current rules, the latest date an election can be held is January 2025.According to a December 2023 Ipsos poll on UK voting intention, Labour are at 41 per cent and the Conservatives are at 24 per cent.Britain’s top pollster told The Independent that Mr Sunak is heading for a landslide election defeat even if his Rwanda immigration policy gets off the ground.Professor Sir John Curtice said the prime minister faces a “very bleak situation” and could lose as many as 220 of the Conservatives’ current total of 350 MPs. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailCabinet minister Michael Gove has claimed the government will take on council planning departments that “drag their feet” when it comes to the approval of new homes.But the housing secretary was accused of “capitulating” to nimby Tory MPs after he announced moves to let councils reject housebuilding targets in the countryside.Local authorities will no longer have to earmark greenfield land for new homes, under changes revealed by the levelling up secretary on Tuesday.Mr Gove denied caving to pressure by the nimbys – the “not in my back yard” campaigners and MPs – as he vowed to get tough with councils who “delay” housebuilding.The senior Tory said there would be “no excuse” for not dealing with planning applications promptly under reforms aimed at dealing with England’s housing shortage.The government will give local authorities three months to come up with plans to meet the housing need in their area. Those that fail could have developments forced upon their area, and councillors could also be stripped of their powers to delay applications.“There is now no excuse for not having a (housing) plan in place … There is no excuse for the arbitrary refusal of planning permissions. Delay, no. Denial, no,” Mr Gove said.Michael Gove says nimbys ‘often have good reason to just say no’ The government will name and shame local councils by publishing “robust league tables” on their planning system, Mr Gove also announced.But councils will be able to turn down housing development if it would significantly change the character of an area or build on the green belt.Last year, Rishi Sunak and Mr Gove dropped compulsory housing targets to ward off a potential backbench Tory rebellion – choosing instead to make the 300,000 target in England only advisory.Asked if he was a “yimby” – a pro-housing campaigner who says “yes in my back yard” – Mr Gove said: “Yes.” But Mr Gove also defended anti-housing campaigners, saying they “often have good reason to just say no”.Deputy Labour leader and shadow housing secretary Angela Rayner said: “Despite all this tough talk, [Mr Gove] and Rishi Sunak have stripped away every measure that would get shovels in the ground and houses built to appease their backbenchers.”“We simply can’t be expected to believe that the government will take the steps necessary to get the homes built that Britain desperately needs,” Ms Rayner added – attacking the “reckless” decision to abolish local targets.Labour’s leader Angela Rayner says Tory promises cannot be ‘believed’ The Home Builders Federation (HBF) also accused Mr Gove and ministers of a “capitulation” to Tory MPs in the countryside.“No matter how it is packaged, it will result in fewer new homes and represents another victory for NIMBY backbenchers,” said HBF executive chairman Stewart Baseley.The levelling up secretary has also set out plans for a major expansion around Cambridge, with around 150,000 new homes. And he set up a major clash with London Mayor Sadiq Khan as he ordered a review of the supply of homes in the capital.Mr Khan got his defence of London’s building record in early, tweeting: “Oh dear … the Tories are desperately trying to distract from their catastrophic housing record.”He said a record number of homes have been built in London, more council homes have been started than since the 1970s – and Labour boroughs are delivering 50 per cent more homes than Tory ones.“I love Sadiq,” said Mr Gove to laughter during his speech. “What I want to do is help him deliver.” But the Tory minister warned that he could “intervene” in London if housing targets continued to be missed.Meanwhile, the HBF pointed out that the number of sites granted planning permission in the past 12- months in England was the lowest quarterly figure recorded since such reports began in 2006.The levelling up department said ministers are “continuing to deliver” on the target of building one million homes over this parliament, between 2019 and January 2025.Officials said numerous measures to help build homes had been introduced, including bringing forward the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act, which is designed to speed up the planning system, hold developers to account and encourage more councils to put local plans in place. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has confirmed the next general election will be in 2024 – ruling out the prospect of a January 2025 contest.The prime minister told a gathering of journalists in Downing Street that the UK will go to the polls next year, putting Westminster on an election war-footing.The latest date an election can be held under current rules is January 2025, and with the Tories trailing Labour by around 20 points in the polls it was rumoured Mr Sunak would cling on and hope for a turnaround.But the PM has set the stage for a showdown with Sir Keir Starmer, who has led Labour to the cusp of power four years after its worst defeat since 1935 under his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.An election is now expected in the autumn, although there is speculation one could be held as soon as next spring. Mr Sunak’s announcement comes amid a gloomy backdrop, with the PM warned he faces a “collapse” on the scale of Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide.Rishi Sunak wants to see flights to Rwanda take off before the next general election (James Manning/PA)Britain’s top pollster Professor Sir John Curtice told The Independent on Sunday that the PM faces a “very bleak situation”. The Conservatives could lose as many as 220 of their current total of 350 MPs in the election due next year, he claimed.“Sunak as a personality has failed to bring up his party,” Sir John told The Independent.Mr Sunak has also failed to deliver on four of the five key pledges to the public he set out in January.He promised to halve inflation, stop small boats crossing the channel, grow the economy, reduce the national debt and cut NHS waiting lists.Inflation has fallen from over 10 per cent at the start of this year to 4.6 per cent, still more than double the Bank of England’s target.But the PM’s other four pledges have floundered, including his promise to “stop the boats”.And he enters the new year braced for a fresh bout of Tory infighting over his beleaguered Rwanda deportation plan, which has split the party’s right and centrist wings.Sir Keir Starmer is hoping to win power after Labour faced its worst defeat since 1935 under his predecessor (Maja Smiejkowska/PA)In a bid to revive the scheme, after it was struck down by the Supreme Court, Mr Sunak is seeking to pass an emergency bill to deem the east African country a safe place to deport refugees.The PM won a crunch vote on the bill this month, but faces another battle with his MPs within weeks, with rebels on the Tory right and left threatening to scupper his plans.Prof Curtice also warned that Mr Sunak faces electoral oblivion even if his Rwanda policy gets off the ground.Asked if the Tories would do better in the election if the PM manages to start sending migrants to Rwanda, the polling guru said: “The short answer is no. Yes, some core voters are upset (about immigration). But it’s not the core vote you need to win back – it’s those who are saying they won’t vote Conservative.”Mr Sunak had blundered by not focusing on the economy and the NHS, he argued. “People are asking two main questions: ‘Can I afford to feed my kids?’ and, ‘If I fall ill, will the NHS look after me?’“Unless they come up with better answers, this government will struggle politically,” said Sir John, who is renowned for his near 100 per cent accurate predictions on polling day. More