Bromley and Biggin Hill MP Peter Fortune today urged the Government not to give Sadiq Khan more powers over housebuilding in London.
He said: "House building has in fact ground to a halt—it is down 73% in London over the past year.
"There is no way of avoiding it: despite Sadiq Khan’s boasts, he has comprehensively failed to build. After nine years at the helm, Sadiq Khan has nothing to show for it.
"It is not a question of money: Sadiq Khan has been given nearly £9 billion to deliver on housing in London. It is not a question of powers; he has strategic planning powers in London. Instead, it has been about bad policy. His London plan is onerous and expensive to adhere to, and his affordability targets have acted as a tax on house building.
"It is a bizarre decision to effectively block building on vacant former industrial sites in inner London near tube stations, and instead force thousands of homes on to poorly served farmers’ fields in Bromley. If the Government want to meet their housing targets, they need to realise that Sadiq Khan is not a builder—he is a blocker, and the record proves it."
