Andy Burnham’s plan to seize privately owned homes slammed by former Tory minister: ‘Sounds like Communism!’

“With so many children and families still in need of a safe and secure home, we can’t sit by and allow 300,000 long-term empty dwellings to be left unused,” Ms Rayner said.

“That’s why Labour in power is putting the tools in local leaders’ hands to take over desperately needed derelict homes and put them back into use.

“We’re reversing the Tories’ damaging changes by supporting councils to intervene and use untapped powers to meet local housing need,” she said.

Mr Pursglove did not welcome the plans, telling GB News: “I don't like the sound of what is being proposed here.”

Andy Burnham has launched a plan to seize privately owned homes from neglectful landlords

PA

“It sounds a little bit like Communism to me, taking people's property off them.

“Actually, there's probably a more sensible middle way where you penalise empty properties that are long-term empty properties through a system, perhaps through the council tax system.

“There's a little bit of that that happens already. You could perhaps go a little further, but you ought to work with landlords to get properties back into use,” he insisted.

The former migration minister added that properties could sit empty for a time for many legitimate reasons.

Angela Rayner confirmed Labour would support councils to 'intervene and use untapped powers to meet local housing need'

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“There are many good landlords who take real pride in what they do, want to do the right thing, and provide high-quality accommodation.

“I think it's wrong to tar everybody with that brush, and this has a flavour of that to it,” he said.

Discussing the policy further, Mr Pursglove argued Labour’s plans did little to address the main causes of Britain’s housing crisis.

“There have been decades of problems in house building and a shortage of new homes coming on stream.

'Sounds a bit like Communism to me,' Tom Pursglove said

GB NEWS

“It also comes back to the immigration point, doesn't it? The constant pressure on infrastructure, services, and housing is only compounded by the number of people coming here.

“It was absolutely the right thing for the last government to bring visa numbers down in the way that I was tasked with doing in those last six months.

“The fall of 80-odd per cent in visa numbers that this government takes credit for, they had absolutely nothing to do with it.

“They fought us every step of the way. And one reason was to try to relieve some of that pressure,” Mr Pursglove said.