Tory rebellion threatens housing and planning reforms
Over 50 Conservative MPs signed an amendment to Michael Gove's Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, which would set a target of building 300,000 homes per year by the mid-2020s. The rebels argue that the planning rules encourage the construction of the wrong buildings in the wrong places, and destroy communities. The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has asked the Treasury to look into how much could be raised by closing the controversial non-dom tax loophole, which allows wealthy UK residents not to pay tax on their overseas income. Labour has repeatedly called for the loophole to be abolished, accusing the government of shielding the super-rich from contributing their fair share.