I just looked back over my blog posts over the last two years or so to see if there was some clue as to when and why it all went wrong for Labour.
Early 2024, in my view. All those promises.
Because, for all the hyperbolic statements of intent, for all of the administrative and legislative changes and despite many positive day-to-day decisions, the targeted effects just haven’t been felt, or indeed even achieved.
And there are no marks for effort in politics: it’s about achievement, or perhaps even more starkly, the public perception as to achievement.
Planning reform was seen as one of the main levers to be pulled so as to deliver growth. Whether the lever was pulled firmly enough or fast enough doesn’t even matter. Like a car careering down a hill in a silent movie, and the handbrake coming off in the driver’s hands, maybe the lever wasn’t even attached or, more credibly, the growth engine’s more bust than that – in ways that goes beyond rules and policies but go to governance, established ways of thinking and of course resources.
As has become plain, there are so many other external factors affecting growth, and housebuilding in particular; many of those factors indeed external even to this country. And the thought that our sprawling and disjointed system could be rebuilt in one Parliamentary term was always for the birds.
The electorate is harsh. And, of course, collectively foolish if it thinks that any other group of politicians will have better answers. I’m sure that may of them will turn out to be utterly stupid. But when you look back at the grand promises, is the backlash at all surprising?
From the foreword by Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner of Labour’s March 2024 Plan to Power-Up Britain document:
“Growth in every corner of the country, so that every town, village and city has a role to play, and can reap the rewards of a decade of national renewal.”
The document promised:
“The biggest boost in affordable homes for a generation – with social and council housing at the core of Labour’s plan for secure homes.
A housing recovery plan, a blitz of planning reform to quickly and materially boost house building , delivered in our first weeks and months in office .
The next generation of new towns , garden cities and large sites, new communities with beautiful homes, green spaces, reliable transport and bustling high streets
New powers to unleash mayors including a package of devolution to mayors, handing them stronger powers over planning and departmental style settlements for housing
‘Planning passports ’ for urban brownfield delivery, a tough package of planning reform to fast track approvals and delivery of high density housing on urban brownfield sites.”
Rachel Reeves as shadow Chancellor at UKREiif two years ago:
“Our local housing recovery plan will reverse the Conservatives’ damaging changes to planning, getting stalled sites moving at speed… Together, we will unleash the biggest wave of affordable and social housing in a generation.”
In September 2024 I was quoting from the prime minister’s party conference speech in Liverpool:
“we are introducing new planning passports that will turbo-charge housebuilding in our inner cities.”
And Rachel Reeves there: “What you will see in your town, your city, is a sight that we have not seen often enough in our country – shovels in the ground, cranes in the sky, the sounds and the sights of the future arriving. We will make that a reality.”
In October 2024, the government’s draft industrial strategy:
“Eight growth-driving sectors have been identified: Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy Industries, Creative Industries, Defence, Digital and Technologies, Financial Services, Life Sciences, and Professional and Business Services.”
“A core objective of the Industrial Strategy is unleashing the full potential of our cities and regions. The Industrial Strategy will concentrate efforts on places with the greatest potential for our growth sectors: city regions, high-potential clusters, and strategic industrial sites.”
In January 2025, that Government goes further and faster on planning reform in bid for growth press statement.
In December 2025, Royal Assent for the Planning and Infrastructure Act2 025 was being referred to in the government’s press statement as a “crucial pillar of the government’s growth mission, the Act will make Britain a more attractive place for business, opening the door to more investment opportunities in major infrastructure and housing schemes – while also supporting plans to achieve clean power by 2030, make 150 decisions on major infrastructure, and build 1.5 million homes.”
I’m struggling to see what might come to the government’s assistance at the moment, other than some currently implausible economic good fortune and/or a whole series of political implosions elsewhere. But we shall see.
I know that many of you have purchased tickets for our sell-out Ten Years’ Time charity event for XLP on 1 June (thank you again – particularly to event sponsors Town Legal, Birketts, Lichfields, DHA Planning and Origin Legal). The theme deliberately looks beyond these short-term political issues to take a longer term perspective. What will we be facing in 2036, ten years from now, and will our planning system be up to it? What do we need to do?
I wanted to use this post just to give a shout-out to those who will be giving their time speaking on 1 June, and who continue month after month to produce brilliant free content to help us try to make sense to what is happening around us.
For instance:
Nick Cuff gave his initial reactions yesterday as to London’s local elections. We’re also waiting for the second part of his deep dive into what have been the longer-term implications for the London land market of the 2017 Parkhurst Road High Court judgment on viability. The first part is here. He has shared with me a preview of Part 2, which you will find fascinating.
Philip Barnes published a blog post on 30 April anticipating the election votes and postulating on the impact on national land and planning policy.
Nicola Gooch’s posts are always so timely. On Friday she blogged on changes made last week to the PPG to take account of the Renters Rights Act, changes which could immediately affect the drafting of many section 106 agreements.
Jennie Baker is part of the Lichfields team responsible for their authoritative blog series, the latest being a piece by Dominic Bowers, The New Plan-Making System: Zen and the Art of Timetable Maintenance.
Angus Walker blogged on Friday on a potential local authority challenge to a DCO decision, an application proposing Secretary of State requirement sign-off, and the first legislative signs of the application of BNG to NSIPs in Sundowner and BNG on the up .
Catriona Riddell, as part of the Planning After Dark podcast, last week published a timely episode with the outgoing Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz, Mayors, Mothers and Making It Happen with Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz.
Sam Stafford yesterday published a blog directly referencing the 1 June event, Ten Years’ Time, which is worth a read, looking back 10 years as well as with some thoughts as to what the future night hold. There is also the most recent, 2 May 2026, episode of his 50 Shades of Planning podcast, The West Midlands Problem (plus Grey Belt and some other stuff) .
And then finally Hashi Mohamed and Zack Simons, busy busy. Hashi preparing I know for a UKREiif session and Zack working on a paper for the Oxford Joint Planning Law Conference.
These are no simple minds: if they can’t tell the future, who can?
Simon Ricketts, 10 May 2026
Personal views, et cetera
SIMONICITY 