LONDON (Bywire News) - Young people and private renters have vented their fury at the Labour Party after it came out in opposition to extra housebuilding and in support of wealthy homeowners.
Writing on Twitter, the official Labour Party account slammed the Tories' so-called Developers' Charter - proposals which would relax planning rules and allow more houses to be built - stating:
"The Conservatives’ developers’ charter would sell off and sell out our communities. Local people, not Tory Party donors, should decide what’s best for where they live."
The Conservatives’ developers’ charter would sell off and sell out our communities.
— The Labour Party (@UKLabour) June 21, 2021
Local people, not Tory Party donors, should decide what’s best for where they live. pic.twitter.com/pAg0xh46nb
The Developers' Charter is a white paper - officially titled Planning For The Future - commissioned in August 2020, which recommended a huge overhaul of housebuilding planning rules.
However, whilst many have concerns with the Tory plans - including the fact that it would hand more power to property developers and take power away from local communities - young people and private renters are furious at Labour's approach to the issue.
The co-founder of Novara Media, Aaron Bastani, accused the party of simply ignoring the housing crisis:
Labour “we actually won’t do anything about the housing crisis”
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) June 21, 2021
Has there ever been a party which believes in so little?
Whilst Philip Proudfoot, the leader of the Northern Independence Party, replied by stating that only a tiny proportion of UK land was currently built upon, and that the country was in the grip of a housing crisis - before giving Keir Starmer's party a piece of his mind:
1% of the UK is used for home, and we have a massive housing crisis.
— Philip Proudfoot 🟨🟥 (@PhilipProudfoot) June 21, 2021
You can take your cynical ill-informed NIMBY-ism and bugger off to the dustbin of history.
I want to not pay 50% of my salary to a landlord, thanks. https://t.co/vhA0HVWnRU
— Philip Proudfoot 🟨🟥 (@PhilipProudfoot) June 21, 2021
And even the current serving Labour leader of Trafford Council, Andrew Western, slammed his own party - stating that the party's message on housing "devastates" him:
Currently buying a 2up 2down for 10x the average UK salary. That THIS is the Party’s message on housing devastates me. Under my leadership @trafford_labour will continue to make case to build the homes we need, up affordable & social delivery and get young people on the ladder 🤦♂️
— Andrew Western (@AndrewHWestern) June 21, 2021
And many others shared the same sentiment - with Labour being roundly accused of ignoring their core voter base of young people, renters and low earners, in favour of wealthy homeowners:
Good to know that I’m going to be stuck renting forever because none of the parties want to scare people in the Home Counties. As a party with a younger voting base than the other parties, you should know better than to fuck young people over by contributing to the housing crisis
— George posting his Ls 🏴 (@georgethisisnot) June 21, 2021
What is this NIMBY-ism, we should be for more homes so that young people can actually afford a home without the support of family
— Adam Allnutt (@AdamAllnutt) June 21, 2021
Vote @UKLabour to:
— Luke (@lukerobertblack) June 21, 2021
✨ maintain the housing crisis ✨
✨ make sure young people with rich parents get on the property ladder before others ✨
✨ help young people with rich parents rent to their mates ✨
✨ pretend the Tory housing bill doesn’t include local consultation✨ https://t.co/xVKJiYpDS7
This is typically weak of Labour. Too keen to oppose for the sake of opposing.
— Tom-Henry Jones (@TomHenry88) June 21, 2021
Young people need homes now! https://t.co/PsyRqwq5Oa
It's all very well Labour trying to suck up to a few Tory voting homeowners, but ignoring 20 million renters is political suicide. https://t.co/GH0zkRgqnV
— Matt Thomas (@Trickyjabs) June 21, 2021
Many also accused Labour of cynically attempting to copy the Lib Dems - who won Thursday's by-election in the prosperous Chesham and Amersham constituency after campaiging against housebuilding in the area:
🏘️ After seeing the Lib Dems get 300x more votes than them in Chesham & Amersham, Labour have now decided that they're *against* solving the housing crisis.
— Breakthrough Party 🟠🌤️ (@BThroughParty) June 21, 2021
🥀 Reactionary, opportunistic & devoid of ideas. Embarrassing. https://t.co/SjL3tKULC7
NIMBYism wins a single seat for the Lib Dems and suddenly this is the Labour strategy?
— Marl Karx (@BareLeft) June 21, 2021
Properly out of ideas. https://t.co/rdTDmATaZ2
In his 2020 leadership campaign, Keir Starmer promised to maintain the bulk of Labour's 2019 housing policies, as well as putting forward his own agenda to end the housing crisis.
However, despite having been in charge of the party for over a year now, Starmer is yet to set out any concrete policies on the issue, and appears to be backtracking on its 2019 stances.
(Writing by Tom D. Rogers, editing by Jess Miller.)