Britain’s housing shortage is now so severe that even if we hit Labour’s now abandoned building target, it would still take half a century to close the gap, says Sir Simon Clarke

Last night I was delighted to launch Conservative YIMBY (“Yes In My Back Yard”), a campaign group which aims to transform Conservative attitudes to building the homes and infrastructure we need. We were joined by former Cabinet Minister (and sword-bearer extraordinaire) Penny Mordaunt, but for all Penny’s profile, something else stood out: our audience was packed full of young people.

They were there because we face a national housing emergency – one that is punishing young people and, increasingly, voters well into their 30s and 40s. The next election won’t just be fought on tax or immigration, crucial though both are. It will be fought on whether people can afford to put down roots, start a family, and build a life.

At the moment most young people can’t. Rents are soaring, while house prices have risen from four times average earnings in the 1990s to nine times today. Why? Because we haven’t built the homes we need.........

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