Jenrick says Reform would make long-term benefits claimants clean up high streets – UK politics live

Thousands more houses could be built near transport hubs including on green belt sites Loosening of planning rules in England to allow more new homes near stations Robert Jenrick, Reform’s finance spokesperson, is giving a press conference about the party’s proposed welfare changes.

You can watch it live here.

In this insightful briefing , the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has explained some of the reasons behind the slump in housebuilding: Higher mortgage interest rates are constraining affordability for first-time buyers and home movers, reducing the number of transactions and playing a key role in slowing house price growth.

The impacts of this are most pronounced in the south of England (including London), where higher loan to income ratio lending is required, and therefore the impact of higher rates is greatest.

This has had an impact on the demand for housing generally, and on the demand for new-build homes specifically, and is reflected in estimates of the number of mortgages issued for new-build purchases … Continue reading...