All the evidence shows voters want Labour to shift to the left — but initial signs from Andy Burnham are worrying on that front, cautions DIANE ABBOTT
IF you want to know why Labour will struggle with their housing promises, it’s worth taking a look at the annual accounts of Taylor Wimpey.
Labour says it will “get Britain building again” and will “deliver affordable housing.” But it won’t do it by the traditional Labour method of building more council houses. Instead, it hopes to cajole the private housebuilders to build more houses.
Labour hopes the extra supply will lower house prices, and this might filter down to lower rents — and that it can do side deals with the private housebuilders to include some social housing in their developments.
The HS2 debacle exposes what happens when public infrastructure is handed to private contractors – especially when set against China’s state-led high-speed rail success, says CARLOS MARTINEZ
CAROL WILCOX argues for the proper implementation of the land value tax, which could see unused plots sold off and landlords priced out of landlordism, potentially resolving the housing and planning crises
Our housing crisis isn’t an accident – it’s class war, trapping millions in poverty while landlords and billionaires profit. To solve it, we need comprehensive transformation, not mere tokenistic reform, writes BECK ROBERTSON


