Rishi Sunak was accused of being “so weak” tonight after caving into Tory rebels over controversial house building targets.
The Prime Minister folded in the face of a backbench revolt amid fears the Government would be forced to rely on Labour votes to push through the proposal.
“Well over 100 Tory MPs” threatened to rebel over the reform, it was claimed.
Communities Secretary Michael Gove is expected to update national planning policy to reflect the change rather than amend the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill.
In a letter, Mr Gove claims that while “there is no truly objective way of calculating how many new homes are needed in an area”, the “plan making process for housing has to start with a number”.
His shake-up of the legislation would make the Whitehall-set target a “starting point”, with councils able to propose building fewer homes if they faced “genuine constraints” or would have to build at a density that would “significantly change the character” of their area.
Shadow Levelling-Up Secretary Lisa Nandy said the move was “unconscionable in the middle of a housing crisis”.
She added: “We offered Labour votes to defeat the rebels, but Rishi Sunak and Michael Gove seem to have chosen party before country.
“This is so weak. In office but not in power.”
Around 60 MPs had signed an amendment that would have scrapped mandatory housing targets and the requirement for councils to demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land.
Supporters of the proposal said it would protect the environment and ensure communities were not forced to accept unwelcome development.
But some Conservatives were critical of the proposal, with 2019 Tory manifesto co-author Robert Colville saying it would “enshrine ‘nimbyism’ as the governing principle of British society”.
The Bill is expected to return to the Commons next week.
