Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said a significant number of the homes that the Labour government pledged to deliver in its manifesto should be built in the capital.
Speaking to The Standard after Labour’s election win, Khan said he was still lobbying for the £2.2bn emergency stimulus for housing he requested in May after his mayoral victory. At the time, Khan criticised ministers for not supporting housebuilders and said it was “a national crisis that needs national action”.
He said delivering housing in the capital would require billions more pounds for the Greater London Assembly (GLA) and said “a large chunk” of the one-and-a-half million homes Labour pledged to deliver in its manifesto should be in London.
Fewer obstacles, more power
Khan said with Labour in power, he was looking forward to “constant obstacles not being put in [his] way”. He said this did not only apply to himself as mayor of London, but other mayors across the country.
“This does not mean a blank cheque from Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer – what it means is an open, candid relationship,” he said.
Khan said he hoped the new government would make some announcements before Parliament recess to “get housebuilding going”.
When asked if more powers should be given to the GLA to build homes, Khan said “absolutely”.
“What I’ve been pleased about over the last few months is – with mayors across the country – meeting regularly with Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves. I’m hoping that over the course [of the] next few days, Keir Starmer as the new Prime Minister will meet with us to discuss what further powers and resources can be devolved.”
He said he did not want to see these powers just go to London, but also regional mayors.
Khan said he was keen to help the Labour government with “growth” and one of the key ways of doing this was through housing.
In her first speech as Chancellor today, Reeves said the government would restore mandatory housing targets and planning reform to unlock tied-up projects.
Shekina is the deputy editor at Mortgage Solutions and commercial editor at Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions. She has nearly eight years of experience in the B2B publishing market, having previously covered the hospitality, retail, pet, accounting and jewellery sectors.
Shekina has worked for Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions for almost five years. Here, she covers the market’s breaking news stories, engages with professionals in the sector, and oversees any commercially agreed content in partnership with mortgage-related companies.
This includes presenting webinars and hosting roundtable discussions on developing themes in the mortgage sector.
She is an NCTJ-trained journalist and was nominated for the Headline Money Awards Mortgage Journalist of the Year in 2021.
In her spare time, Shekina likes to read, travel, listen to music and socialise with friends.
She currently reports on current events in the mortgage market and liaises with financial clients to produce sponsored content.
Follow her on Twitter at @ShekinaMS
