UK: Labour Announces Plan to Build 12 New Towns in England

21 HOURS AGO·UPDATED 17 HOURS AGO

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Above: Housing Secretary Steve Reed addresses the Labour Party conference on Sept. 28, 2025. Image copyright: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

The government’s pledge to build 12 new towns across England and begin construction of at least three during this Parliament demonstrates its commitment to fixing Britain’s broken housing market. Just as the Attlee government did after the war, Labour will once again develop communities fit for the British people, with the finest housing, facilities, and unionized employment.

Labour GOV.UK

Government-critical narrative

For all the bravado on display at the Labour conference, this government lacks the courage to tackle the fundamentals behind the housing crisis, the U.K.’s planning laws. As long as the same stifling regulations and bureaucracies remain, Labour’s latest gimmick will inevitably fail, just like the government’s pledge to build 1.5 million houses by the next election.

CapX