Keir Starmer pledges to 'take on Nimbys' in bid to slash red tape on Britain's growth

Downing Street said it hoped it would bring an end to "cynical" or "hopeless" cases causing delays and increasing the cost of infrastructure projects.

The Government claims more than 58 per cent of all decisions on "major infrastructure" get taken to court as it commits to making 150 major infrastructure project decisions by the next election.

Starmer has vowed to take on 'nimbys' in a blistering attack

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Sizewell was approved despite 16 months of campaigning

PA

According to the Government, more than half of decisions on nationally significant infrastructure projects were taken to court, causing an average delay of 18 months and adding millions to costs.

Officials pointed to cases including the approval of Sizewell C, in Suffolk, where campaigners spent 16 months seeking permission for a judicial review despite their case being described as "unarguable" at every stage.

However, only some of the grounds in the Sizewell C case were deemed “totally without merit”, meaning the remaining grounds could still have been reconsidered by the Court of Appeal.

Shadow Housing Secretary Kevin Hollinrake said: “While we welcome the Government taking forward Conservative initiatives to streamline the planning system, Labour’s blocking of our efforts to cut EU legacy red tape, such as nutrient neutrality, so they can align more closely with the European Union will hold Britain back.”

Minister Kevin Hollinrake

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The Prime Minister also pledged to "bring back common sense" to building new projects.

Writing for The Daily Mail, Starmer said: “Cases that are unarguable and unwinnable can be brought back to the courts three times.

"That causes years of delay. It costs hundreds of millions of pounds. It clogs up the courts. And strangles growth.

"The entire country pays the price. Bringing back common sense to building is the least this country deserves. Because if we want growth, we need the infrastructure to support it."