Spring Statement Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: HM Treasury

Spring Statement

Lord Lemos Excerpts
Thursday 27th March 2025

(5 days, 23 hours ago)

Lords Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Lord Lemos Portrait Lord Lemos (Lab)
- View Speech - Hansard - -

My Lords, the OBR forecasts that the Labour Government will meet two of the fiscal rules earlier and will be within touching distance of their new homes pledge. Can the Minister comment of those areas of progress on delivering growth, particularly the new homes pledge?

Lord Livermore Portrait Lord Livermore (Lab)
- View Speech - Hansard - - - Excerpts

I am grateful to my noble friend. Yesterday, the OBR said, as I have just outlined to the noble Lord, Lord Forsyth, that the Government’s planning reforms will increase our economic growth and, most importantly, will put us within touching distance of meeting our 1.5 million homes pledge. The OBR said that we will get to 1.3 million homes purely on the reforms we have introduced in the first nine months of this Government. Clearly, those additional homes are incredibly important. At the same time, we announced a major programme of construction skills works, so that we have the skilled workers necessary to build the homes we need.