Conservative rebellion delays vote on planning reforms

A Conservative rebellion against the Government's Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill has seen a debate on centrally-set targets for house building delayed for a number of weeks. An amendment signed by 50 Conservative MPs, including a number of former Cabinet ministers, sought to remove the targets from the Bill, but the Government last night pulled a vote on the Bill, with a source blaming the "congested parliamentary timetable". Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan-Smith said the "top-down targets have to go, and if the Government does not back down we will vote for this amendment". The amendment would require that central targets "may only be advisory and not mandatory", and "should not be taken into account in determining planning applications". Downing Street said that Rishi Sunak was still committed to the target of building 300,000 homes a year. However, Michael Gove, the levelling up and housing secretary, is understood to be in talks with the rebels. 

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