UK government unveils housing plan as Burnham scales back social rent pledge
The UK government has announced an initial £10bn investment in affordable housing across England, with 60% earmarked for social rent — falling short of what Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham had promised. The announcement came alongside several other political developments, including a new UK-Ukraine security data deal.
The UK government announced on Monday plans to spend an initial £10bn on subsidised housing across England, with around 60% of it going toward social rented homes. The money comes from the 10-year, £39bn Affordable Homes Programme.
The move marks a retreat from a pledge made earlier this year by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham while campaigning to become MP for Makerfield, when he called for the entire programme to be spent on council homes, which are more heavily subsidised and therefore cheaper than other government-funded housing types.
Under the plans unveiled Monday, the £10bn will help build 70,000 homes outside London, about 60% of which will be social rented housing, with the remainder covering other types such as shared ownership and sheltered housing. London will receive a further £6bn, to be allocated later.
Ministers said the funding brings the government closer to its target of building 300,000 affordable homes over the next decade. The money will be distributed by 33 “strategic partners” guaranteed a decade of funding, three of which will be local councils for the first time in the scheme’s history.
Housing minister Matthew Pennycook rejected suggestions that Burnham had broken his promises, saying more money is indeed going toward social rent and council housebuilding.
Other developments
Burnham said he plans to travel to the US next month to join European leaders lobbying Donald Trump to supply Ukraine with Patriot missiles. The prime minister told Bloomberg the trip was likely, though not yet fully confirmed.
London and Kyiv have struck a deal to use AI models trained on Ukrainian battlefield data to help protect UK defence sites, railways and energy plants from protesters and foreign states — the first agreement of its kind in the UK.
Reform UK said that under a Reform government, social housing tenants who fail to maintain their gardens and properties would face eviction. Separately, Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe has reportedly earned substantial income from posts on X, including calls for mass deportations.
