I’m a Yimby*, says Starmer

* That’s ‘Yes, in my backyard’ to major new developments – despite saying no in the past

sir Keir starmer yesterday vowed to ‘bulldoze’ through those who stand in the way of his plan to build homes as he declared himself a ‘Yimby’.

Promising that he would effectively ignore objections from ‘Nimby (Not in My Backyard)’ locals and MPs to build 1.5million properties, the Labour leader claimed he would say ‘ Yes, in my backyard’ to new developments – despite a history of objecting himself.

Last month, Labour voted against Government plans to relax environmental rules in order to boost house building.

The Lords saw off an attempt by ministers to scrap EU- era regulations on nutrient neutrality that force developers to mitigate

‘We will have to be tough with people’

the impact new homes have on river health. And the Mail can reveal that, along with sir Keir, almost all of his shadow Cabinet have opposed new housing and infrastructure projects in their constituencies.

The Labour leader campaigned against Hs2 being built in his constituency backyard of Euston in London, while shadow Chancellor rachel reeves opposed the building of council homes on a sports ground in Leeds.

Angela rayner, the party’s Deputy Leader, railed against homes being built on a field in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency. And shadow Housing minister Matthew Pennycook opposed a 1,500-home development in Greenwich, southEast London over concerns about the height of planned buildings.

sir Keir used his keynote speech to Labour’s conference in Liverpool on Tuesday to outline his aim to rip through planning red tape to build homes and modern infrastructure.

replicating the policy of Clement Attlee’s government that set in motion the creation of ten new towns during the 1950s, he vowed to build 1.5million homes during the five years of the next parliament. During broadcast interviews yesterday, sir Keir vowed to take on anyone who fights his plans.

‘We are going to have to be tough with anybody who stands in the way of that and that will include any Labour MPs who say: “Well, i’m signed up to the project but just not here,” ’ he said.

He told Times radio he was confident he could hit his housebuilding target, including plans for the next generation of new towns. Asked by the BBC’s Chris Mason whether he was a ‘Yimby’ – referring to someone who embraces development and says ‘Yes, in my backyard’ – sir Keir said: ‘i am, yes.’

He added: ‘i think that it’s very important that we build the homes that we need for the future, hugely, hugely important for the aspiration of young people [who] desperately want to get on the housing ladder.’

sir Keir’s plan could mean riding roughshod over local objections to developments, and the Labour leader was earlier confronted with his own opposition to Hs2 because of the impact of the Euston development on his constituency.

‘You will always get – and quite understandably and quite rightly – individual MPs standing up for the communities in their patch,’ he told BBC radio 4’ s Today programme. ‘The role of government is obviously different. The role of government is to deliver on big projects. And we’re going to have to get that balance right.’

Asked if he would be prepared to tell people: ‘We hear you, but i’m afraid we’re ignoring you,’ sir Keir said: ‘Yes. We’re going to have to do that. Now, that’s not going to be a crude exercise.

‘i think one of the problems we have is that planning is at the moment very, very localised. There isn’t the ability to look across a

wider area and say: “Where would the best place be for this development?”’

Conservative Housing Secretary Michael Gove said: ‘Sir Keir Starmer’s flagship policy has been revealed to be short-term positioning to grab headlines, not a serious long-term plan.

‘Just like every decision he makes, Sir Keir always takes the easy way out. Only last month Labour voted against 100,000 new homes to win cheap headlines and please special interests. He’s a blocker, not a builder.

‘Only Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives will deal with the immediate concerns of families to halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats. And only Rishi Sunak will take the long-term decisions needed to build a brighter future.’

■ SIR KEIR squirmed yesterday as he was asked about his previous efforts to put Jeremy Corbyn in No 10.

He has sought to distance himself from his predecessor, who had the Labour whip suspended after a report into anti-Semitism in the party under his leadership. ‘We lost our way, which is why i was utterly determined to change our party,’ he told Sky News.