Angela Rayner refuses to water down Labour's pledge to build 1.5m new homes despite 'challenges' - as she jokes she's on 'album two' of Cabinet career after tax row resignation

Published: 06:45 EST, 11 November 2026 | Updated: 06:47 EST, 11 November 2026 Angela Rayner is refusing to water down her vow to deliver 1.5million new homes in England by 2029 - despite having so far failed to reach one-third of the target.The Housing Secretary told MPs this morning that she will not 'admit defeat' in meeting Labour's manifesto pledge.She acknowledged there were 'challenges' in ramping up construction rates amid the Iran war, with less than 440,000 new homes built since the Government took office.But, appearing before the House of Commons' Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, she declined an opportunity to set a lower goal.Ms Rayner returned as Housing Secretary following Andy Burnham's ousting of Keir Starmer as Prime Minister in July.She quipped that she is now on 'album two' of her time in charge of the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.Ms Rayner had previously been forced to quit the role in September last year, following her tearful admission she failed to pay correct tax on purchasing a new flat.She told MPs on Wednesday: 'I refer to my first part of this role as 'album one' and this being 'album two', to make it a bit easier for people.' Angela Rayner is refusing to water down her vow to deliver 1.5million new homes in England by 2029 - despite having so far failed to reach one-third of the targetLabour's manifesto at the 2024 general election included the promise to build 1.5 million new homes over five years.More than two years into the Parliament, Ms Rayner told the Committee that Labour had so far seen only 437,900 homes built since her party came to power.But, asked what was now the Government's 'realistic' housebuilding target, she stuck to the 1.5 million goal.'In album one, the situation when we created the target of 1.5 million homes, I think the media were particularly saying that it's impossible, we can't do it - so we knew it was a difficult target then,' Ms Rayner said.'Since then, in album two since I returned, we've obviously got the war in the Middle East that has increased costs, construction costs have gone up by 40 per cent.'Obviously the cost of living is having an effect on people's finances. So there have been challenges in terms of meeting that target.'But I'm not giving up on that target and I refuse to admit defeat on it.'The Housing Secretary added: 'We have built 437,900 homes since we came to power. New starts are up by, I think, 20 per cent compared to the last year.'We always knew the changes would take time to come in.'The biggest wave of social and affordable housing, the investment we've put - which is £48billion, the changes to National Planning Policy Framework, and the housing Bills we've got going through Parliament are all our measures in which we are trying to ensure the delivery ramps up and is sustainable going on beyond this Parliament and into the next.'Pressed again on whether she would rethink the housebuilding target, Ms Rayner replied: 'You invite me to concede defeat on the 1.5 million homes target. I refuse to. 'I am realistic about the challenges we face in meeting it.'