Housing developers could override local objections under Labour, says Starmer

Keir Starmer pledged to build a new generation of ‘Labour new towns’, despite the failure of attempts to build ‘eco towns’ and ‘garden cities’ under previous governments. Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Keir Starmer has declared himself a “yimby”, as he promises to ensure developers can overcome local planning objections to get more houses built.

The Labour leader reiterated his pledge that his party would oversee the building of an extra 300,000 new homes every year if elected to government, as experts warned he would need to face down local opposition to do so.