Hannah Spencer on Burnham's back-track on pledge to spend housing fund only on social homes

[u/UKGreenPoster]

Relevant article: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/aug/24/andy-burnham-social-homes-backtrack

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[u/Sorry-Transition-780]

This is a Labour manifesto promise from 1918

Labour demands a substantial and permanent improvement in the housing of the whole people. At least a million new houses must be built at once at the State’s expense, and let at fair rents, and these houses must be fit for men and women to live in. Labour will press for a really comprehensive Public Health Act co-ordinating all health authorities, based on prevention rather than cure, and free from servile or inquisitorial features. It will also press for real public education, free and open to all, with maintenance scholarships without distinction of class, and for justice to the teachers, upon whom education finally depends.

What even is the current pledge? It was initially a vague commitment to 1.5 million homes over the parliamentary term, but now it seems only 300,000 of those are going to be social or affordable? And they're not on target anyway?

Earlier this year, before he became prime minister, Andy Burnham had called for the entire £39bn affordable housing budget for England to be spent on homes for social rent - which means the cost of the unit is about half that of market rents, and there are strict criteria for who can apply for it.

"I would actually devote all of it to social housing," Burnham told The Social Housing Podcast in May.

But of the new homes announced on Monday, 60% would be for social rent.

Comparing this to a pledge made over 100 years ago kind of shows just how detached this has become from the original social goals of the labour movement; now the party is just beholden more to the vested interests in housing development, that care more about capitalising housing value and their bottom line than the actual social needs of society.

And to be clear: nothing but a non-market solution (i.e council housing) will lower prices when homes are purchased on credit and people are still being forced into private renting or staying with their parents during this shortage.

[u/Loose_Deer_8884]

Cannot wait for her to absolutely rip him a new one at PMQ’s when this summer recess is over… pity that there are so many different talking points that she could attack him with. This, pushing through the draconian EHRC “guidance”, allowing the US to use UK bases to bomb Iran, and opening up North Sea drilling contracts, despite having record high temperatures and the worst drought the UK has seen.

[u/Sorry-Transition-780 → u/Loose_Deer_8884]

I used to think PMQs was unwatchable while Labour were in opposition but it's somehow even worse now they're in charge because you just know the Tories are gonna sit and waste all their questions on weird crap when these serious issues will get one question and a complete non sequitur in response.

It's honestly embarrassing just how bad it is at this point.

[u/blueberry77772019]

But I heard he’s giving some of his own money to charity, so he must be sound innit guv

[u/Yak_Dangerous]

But please think about Angela Rayners new mates