Rayner hints Labour won’t meet flagship pledge to build 1.5million homes – as she admits target is ‘really difficult’

ANGELA Rayner has admitted Labour’s flagship pledge to build 1.5 million homes before the next election appears doomed. The Housing Secretary conceded the goal is a “really difficult stretched target” as she likened the challenge to running a marathon. Cabinet Minister Angela Rayner says the target to build more homes has got more “challenging” Credit: Getty Andy Burnham brought Angela Rayner back into government following a stamp duty controversy last year Credit: Reuters She also ruled out bringing in rent controls saying the existing legislation was having an impact on the market. But the Cabinet Minister, brought back to Andy Burnham’s new top team, stopped short of abandoning the goal but likened it to running a marathon. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! Ms Rayner told the BBC: “It certainly got more challenging, and we’ve seen things like construction costs go up etc, which has had a real negative impact on that. “But I’m not dropping it. I’m just saying that it is a really difficult stretched target.” Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham at an event while Sir Keir Starmer was in office Credit: PA Angela Rayner walks up Downing Street as the Prime Minister decides on his Cabinet Credit: Reuters There were 143,110 homes completed in 2025/26 which was down on the previous year when the figure hit 152,040. She added: “Yeah, I’m going to keep the target, but it’s like me saying I’m going to run the London Marathon in under five hours. “That would be a real challenge for me, but I’d do it… Look, I am straight talking. “1.5 million homes is a difficult target. It was when I made the target, but I’m going to keep the target, and I’m not going to be defeated. Most read in The Sun “And the one thing I will say is that people have underestimated me all my life. And if you tell me that I can’t do something, I’ll go hell bent to get it done.” When pushed that she was a long way from hitting the target, she said: “This isn’t an excuse, but it’s true – houses don’t go up in, like, five minutes. I wish they did, but they don’t. It takes time.” Rayner was forced to leave government last September over underpayment of stamp duty on a south coast seaside flat. She has now settled the £40,000 in unpaid duty. However, Ms Rayner was adamant that the new administration wouldn’t be looking at rent controls. She said: “That is not something that we’re looking to do because we’ve seen what’s happened in areas like Scotland. It hasn’t necessarily brought rents down.” Rent controls can include rent prices being capped or freezing them for a set part of time. Mr Burnham, while Greater Manchester Mayor, called for a rent freeze three years ago in the private sector until the cost of living crisis was over. Comment now