Labour to “rebuild Britain from the ground up” with growth driven by investing in all people and all places

The next Labour government will “rebuild Britain from the ground up”, Lisa Nandy will vow today, as she lays out plans for “a great rebalancing of power, with wealth, security and opportunity spread across the whole country”. 

In stark contrast to Liz Truss – who seeks growth “by turning the North into Singapore on Sea” and prioritising the rich and big business – Labour will grow the economy by investing in all people and all places. 

Likening the British economy to “a jet flying on one engine”, Nandy will pledge that Labour will get Britain firing on all cylinders by “building a country where everyone can contribute and everyone has a stake in our future”. Only this way can you both grow the economy and ensure all communities benefit from that growth.

Addressing the Labour Party conference on Monday afternoon, Lisa Nandy will unveil plans to invest to create good, well-paid jobs in industrial and coastal towns; action to build a new generation of council housing; plans to rebalance home ownership towards first-time buyers; reforms to empower people in the private rented sector; and radical new powers for local leaders and communities. 

Lisa Nandy, Shadow Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary, will say:

“It will be about the real wealth creators – the women and men who work in our shops, who drive our buses, who deliver our mail, who produce our food, who care for our families and teach our children – who make sure we have what we need to live every day of our lives. Those people are the foundation of our economy,” she will say. 

“The people of our country are our great untapped asset. Labour will tilt the balance of power back in their favour, so those with skin in the game, who are in it for the long haul, will feel the whole system pulling in behind them. That is how you grow the economy.” 

Nandy will say that tackling housing crisis is central to growth and giving people a stake and the opportunity to contribute. 

She will set out plans to “rebuild our council housing stock and bring homes back into the ownership of local councils and communities”, and to “tilt the balance of power” back to those who rent their homes: 

“For private renters we will tilt the balance of power back to you through a powerful new renters' charter and a new decent homes standard – written into law. Because security in your home, the right to make your home your own, and most of all the right to live in a home that isn’t cold, mouldy, damp, unfit for human habitation, is a fundamental human right.” 

Labour’s Private Renters’ Charter includes ending no fault evictions, the right to make home alterations, the right to have pets, a four-month notice period for landlords, and a national register of landlords. 

Labour’s housing plan will rebalance home ownership towards first-time buyers, with “home ownership opened up to millions more”, driving economic growth and giving more families financial security. Nandy will commit to working with lenders to introduce a system where evidence of meeting rent payments will be included in mortgage affordability tests. 

Elsewhere in her speech, Nandy will emphasise Labour’s plan to invest £28bn-a-year “to bring clean energy jobs to industrial and coastal towns across Britain.” 

Arguing that “none of the challenges we face can be solved from the centre alone”, she also promised to end the Conservatives’ “Hunger Games-style” devolution and “smash up half a century of centralisation”. 

This will include handing “real powers” to local leaders “to invest in skills and housing and rebuild our youth clubs, libraries and high streets”. 

It will also mean radical new powers for communities to own, protect and grow vital local assets like historic buildings, town centres, pubs and football clubs. 

Notes to editors

Social Housing policy 

• In England, there are now 1.4m fewer households in social housing than there were in 1980, while one million families are on the social homes waiting list. To date over 2 million social homes have been sold, with only 4% of these replaced. The Chartered Institute of Housing found that as of 2021, 40% of homes sold under Right to Buy are owned by private landlords. 

Homeownership policy 

• Labour’s housing plan will rebalance the market towards first-time buyers and working families looking for a home, giving families of all financial backgrounds the assets that provide more insulation against economic downturns and financial shocks. 

• We will work with lenders to introduce a system where meeting rent payments will be included in mortgage affordability tests, and expand new models of sub-market home ownership, including shared, discounted ownership as well as community-led and cooperative models of ownership. 

Private Rented Sector policy 

• Within the first 100 days of being elected into government, we will produce a white paper to make renting fairer, more secure and more affordable. 

• The White Paper will set out how longer-term tenancies will become the norm and we will consult on our proposals with landlord and tenant groups on how best to stabilize rent increases within tenancies.  
  
  
• Based on the trailblazing efforts of Wales’ Labour government, we will take the rent reform agenda forward, introducing a new Renters’ Charter which will give tenants more choice and control over their homes. 
  
  
• The charter will include: 
• • The right to have pets 
  • The right to make reasonable alterations to ensure their house feels like a home 
  • The right to request speedy repairs 
  • Ending automatic evictions for rent arrears 
  • Ending Section 21 no-fault evictions 
  • Introducing four-month notice periods for landlords 
  • Introducing a national register of landlords 
  • Making deposits more portable, fairer and more flexible 
     
• We will also introduce licensing for letting agents and a new code of practice, and a legally binding ‘Decent Homes Standard 2’ updated for the next decade that will apply to all PRS buildings. 

Levelling Up 

• In July 2022 Lisa Nandy announced radical new powers to give communities the right to take ownership of vital local assets. Labour would introduce a Community Right to Buy. This would mark a major strengthening of the existing Community Right to Bid, introduced under the Localism Act 2011.  

• It would mean the local community has first refusal when Assets of Community Value – such as high street shops, historic buildings, pubs, live music venues and football clubs – come up for sale, as well as the right to buy them without competition. 

• We’ve already announced several key policies that will rebuild Britain and level up the country: 
• • Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan will invest in industries of the future in industrial and coastal towns, bringing back good, secure and well-paid work that you can raise a family on. 
  • This strategy will put money back in people’s pockets to support the everyday economy and local business that will see high streets and town centers thrive. 
  • We will smash up a century of centralization to Whitehall, giving local leaders far more means to create and agree local growth plans, backed by the powers they need to deliver them.  
  • Our offer to local government is clear: come to us with a clear plan for growth and we’ll give you the powers to deliver. But we won’t dictate your governance arrangements or insist on elected mayors. 
  • We will make it tougher for overseas investors to buy up property, ensuring they pay their fair share.