Angela Rayner has indicated she does not expect Labour to meet its major manifesto pledge to build 1.5 million homes before the next election.
Andy Burnham’s newly appointed housing minister denied she was abandoning the commitment, but compared achieving it to her chances of “running the London Marathon”.
The promise to construct 1.5 homes over the five-year parliamentary term was a key part of Labour’s 2024 election manifesto.
But asked if the target was still realistic, Ms Rayner told BBC Breakfast on Friday: “I’m not dropping it - I’m just saying it’s a really difficult challenge.
“I am 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 would do it.”
She added: “This isn’t an excuse, but houses don’t go up in five minutes. I wish they did - it takes time.”
Ms Rayner was reappointed housing minister – the job she was to resign from after a row over whether she dodged stamp duty – when Andy Burnham became prime minister on Monday.
Ms Rayner said the housebuilding commitment was ”very challenging” when it was made two years ago – and was even “more challenging” now as a result of increased construction costs and other factors which had had ‘a real negative impact.’
However, Ms Rayner was defiant after it was pointed out to her that in its first two years the government had built fewer than 300,000 homes - well short of the number needed to meet the 1.5 target over five years.
She said: “I’m a straight-talking person, 1.5 homes is a difficult target… but I’m going to keep it, I’m not going to be defeated.
”People have underestimated me all my life. If you tell me I cannot do something I will fight like hell to get it done.”
England saw 208,600 new homes built in 2024/25, a 6 per cent fall on the previous year and the lowest annual total since 2015/16, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing Labour's pledge to deliver 1.5 million homes during this Parliament.
Since Labour entered government in July 2024, around 392,400 net additional homes have been delivered, leaving ministers running at roughly two-thirds of the rate required to hit their goal by 2029.
The housebuilding industry has warned that without stronger consumer confidence, lower mortgage costs and healthier balance sheets across the construction sector, delivering the scale of housebuilding needed to meet Labour's targets will remain an uphill battle.
Ms Rayner also ruled out bringing in rent controls to help with the cost of living, despite Mr Burnham telling reporters on Monday that he was considering rent freezes as part of a package of measures.
Rent controls can come in the form of caps on how much rent can be charged or freezing them for a period of time. Mr Burnham backed a call three years ago as mayor of Greater Manchester for a freeze on private sector rents until the cost-of-living crisis is over.
Asked if he stood by it, Ms Rayner said: “I don’t think that rent freezes, rent controls, is a way forward at the moment.
“Three years ago Andy called for that because there was a significant crisis in the rental market. We implemented between then the Renters’ Rights Act which is giving renters more power and control.”
