The cruel government trick that drives voters to Reform: calling new homes ‘affordable’ | John Harris

At the last count, 1.3 m households in England were on local authority housing waiting lists.

Average rent increases in the private sector recently hit a record high of 9.2% .

Number of new homes given planning consent in England in first quarter of 2025 was lowest since 2012 .

1.5 m homes in a single parliament equates to 300,000 a year.

The last time such a feat materialised was in 1977 when half of all new-builds were delivered by local authorities.

The UK is also faced with a dire construction skills crisis.

Failure should not be an option: it will not just deepen this country’s social decay, but also boost malign forces on the hard right.