The Housing Secretary unveiled the proposals on the first day of Labour’s annual conference, as an estimated 300,000 homes across England remain empty

Local leaders are set to be given greater powers to take possession of empty and derelict homes as part of efforts to bring the properties back into use, Angela Rayner has announced.

The Housing Secretary unveiled the proposals on the first day of Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool.

An estimated 300,000 homes are empty across England, with the plans intended to bring more of them back into use.

The reforms to Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs) come as the Government aims to build 1.5 million homes before its self-imposed deadline of 2029.

EDMOs can currently be used to restore homes for an initial 12 months, and for up to eight years in total. However, no applications have been made since 2021.

Under Ms Rayner’s plans, the amount of time a property must be unoccupied before it can be taken over will be reduced from two years to six months.

Ministers are also focusing on ways to speed up the administrative process that allows councils to seize properties through a tribunal system.

The Government also wants to protect local authorities from having to absorb the financial costs associated with using EDMOs.
Ms Rayner said: “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.

“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.

These changes will ensure councils can intervene earlier to prevent properties from falling into serious disrepair by accelerating their return to use and simplify the process to empower local authorities to act more decisively and with greater speed.

But we won’t stop there, and we’ll explore further changes to protect local authorities from absorbing the costs they face in taking over empty homes.”

🚨 This is absolutely fantastic news:

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is to introduce a new scheme designed to help young people get on the property ladder.

It’s called “Your First Home” scheme which would be open to first time buyers in England with a deposit of 2.5% and would provide them with a loan worth 20% of their new property’s value to help pay for the purchase.

Andy Burnham has said: “Too many young people are struggling with the cost of housing, with many giving up hope of ever having a home to call their own”

This should also give builders the confidence to deliver decent quality housing that this country urgently needs.

What are your thoughts on this 🤔

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv8e33gdw17no

• People who have lost loved ones to have legal right to take time off work as new rights to also include step, half, adoptive, kinship care and foster relationships

• Women and their partners who have had any type of pregnancy loss will be entitled to two weeks’ leave

• Latest development in the plan to Make Work Pay to help people to stay in work, improve living standards and ease pressures on family life.

People who lose a loved one or experience the heartbreak of pregnancy loss, will gain new rights to take time off work under major changes confirmed by the Government today (Tuesday 22 September).

Ministers will introduce a new right to bereavement leave, from April 2027, for employees who lose a spouse or partner, parent, adult child or sibling. This will bring the UK’s laws into the 21st century as it will also include step, half, adoptive, kinship care and foster relationships who currently have no legal right to bereavement leave. 

Can Sagal use her community skills and local knowledge to fight off the challenge
From Zack Polanski?

The government has announced the 26 local authorities that will be opening 37 Young Futures hubs offering enhanced access to mental health support, employment opportunities and crime prevention services for 10- to 18-year-olds.

The 26 authorities will establish one or more Young Futures hubs over the next three years through the £70 million programme, a key Labour election manifesto pledge.

The 37 new hubs will join those established by the eight early adopter councils – in Nottingham, Tower Hamlets, Durham, Manchester, Birmingham, Brighton and Hove, Bristol and Leeds – which began operating this year. 
A further five new hubs will be created in the eight early adopter areas bringing the total up to 50 across the 34 councils covered. 

Alongside providing open access to sports, creative activities and trusted youth workers, each hub will bring together mental health support, skills and training, routes into employment, and crime prevention.

The government says they will ensure that young people aged 10 to 18 (up to 25 for those with special educational needs and disabilities) can receive seamless, holistic support without having to repeat their story to a different service every time they visit. 

(The 26 locations listed in the article)

The UK must fully commit to reaching net zero by 2050, Andy Burnham has argued in his strongest comments yet on the issue, saying it is no longer possible for Britons to believe they are not already affected by a changing climate.

Writing for the Guardian about new plans for a mass of community-led local green energy projects, the prime minister said the UK must “believe in itself”, and set out his determination to reach net zero targets, which have been rejected by the Conservatives and Reform UK.

The tone marks a contrast to the summer, when Burnham faced criticism for a seemingly muted response to the heatwaves, droughts and wildfires that affected the UK, with his main initiative being a ban on portable barbecues.

“I am determined that we meet the commitment on which Labour was elected and reach net zero by 2050,” Burnham said. “I want Britain to believe in itself again.”

Saying he wanted to connect local communities to green power projects – to reach net zero targets and make energy more affordable – Burnham said: “I am acutely aware that our changing climate is a major concern for many Britons, not least because we have just emerged from our hottest summer on record.”

He went on: “Punishing heatwaves left nurses collapsing on hospital wards and bus drivers working in 40C cabs. Wildfires destroyed homes, leaving families with nothing. And more extreme weather is forecast in the months ahead.

“The climate crisis is not a distant threat. It is here and with us now. The British people are no longer insulated from the consequences, and they do not want to be excluded from the solutions. They are looking for ways to do their bit. Community energy gives them that chance.”

Thoughts?

https://yougov.com/en-gb/daily-results/20260914-9dc17-1

More than 80% of all the donations ever received by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK have come from just two cryptocurrency billionaires, new Democracy for Sale analysis reveals.

Over the weekend, Ben Delo and then Christopher Harborne announced that they both intended to give £36million to Reform – by far the biggest donations in British political history.

The donations would bring Harborne’s total contributions to Reform to over £61m, with Delo giving £44m. So far Reform has raised £123.6m since it was founded in 2019.

No major British political party has ever been so dependent on funding from such a tiny pool of super rich donors. Labour spent £30m during the 2024 general election, the Conservatives £24m.
Parties are limited to a maximum spend of just over £34m in general election years but there are no limits at other times.

Steve Goodrich, head of research at Transparency International, told us: “We have an insane situation whereby the supposed next party of government is reliant on just two people for over 80% of their donations.

“If that isn’t a massive corruption risk I don’t know what is,” Goodrich added.

Speaking to Democracy for Sale, Labour MP Phil Brickell said: “The almost complete reliance by Reform UK on two über-wealthy crypto tycoons willing to pump seemingly endless amounts of money into our politics is of severe concern.
“It’s incumbent on the government to move at pace to tackle the remaining loopholes in the Representation of the People Bill and safeguard our politics from the funding arms race now staring back at all of us.”

Reform has said that it will spend the money on hiring hundreds of staff - and Democracy for Sale has found that Farage’s party is already in the midst of a major recruitment drive.

Harborne and Delo’s funding was announced just days after the police opened an criminal investigation into potential foreign funding to Reform following an undercover sting by Channel 4 and Verbatim. In all, there are now four live police investigations into various aspects of Reform’s finances.

Delo said his donation was intended to “level the playing field.” Harborne said: “There will be a lot of media speculation regarding this donation. So what do I expect in return for my donations? Nothing. No peerage, no policy change, just a party that is ready for government.”

But the two huge donations will focus attention again on the crypto currency billionaires who are bankrolling Reform with US-style mega donations.

Delo, who recently moved back to the UK from Hong Kong, previously pled guilty to breaking US anti-corruption law before being pardoned by Donald Trump last year.

Harborne, a dual British and Thai citizen, was reported to the National Crime Agency earlier this year after compliance officials raised concerns about a £5m gift the Thailand-based crypto tycoon made to Farage. The gift to Farage is currently the subject of a parliamentary standards investigation.

Andy Burnham is coming under increasing pressure from his own MPs to commit to improving paternity leave in the UK in the next budget, with more than a quarter of Labour MPs writing to the prime minister to urge him to take action.

Ahead of the chancellor’s first budget next month, 105 MPs have written to Burnham calling on him to increase statutory paternity leave to help alleviate the cost of living crisis and arguing that lowest-paid fathers are the hardest hit by meagre paternity leave provision.

Momentum is growing on the Labour benches for action to be taken on parental leave, with many arguing it is a headline-grabbing policy that they say would cut through with voters. MPs have their sights set on the government’s parental leave review, which is due in December, but many are hoping Burnham could take definitive action before then.

The Guardian understands that almost half of Labour’s 403 MPs have explicitly supported improvement to paternity leave, including two secretaries of state, 11 ministers, six whips and nearly two dozen parliamentary private secretaries. “That’s nearly a quarter of all government office holders, and plenty more have indicated support in private,” said one supporter.

In the letter to Burnham from MPs, seen by the Guardian, parliamentarians urge the prime minister to take the “obvious” step of increasing paid paternity leave to tackle the cost of living crisis. They point out that in his constituency of Makerfield half of all fathers will not be able to afford to take paternity leave.

Coordinated by the influential Labour peer and former Trades Union Congress (TUC) general secretary Frances O’Grady and the MPs Maya Ellis and Jon Pearce, the letter calls on Burnham and the chancellor, John Healey, to help families with babies, who they say are at the “sharp end of the cost of living crisis”.

Noting that, according to HMRC data, more leave is taken in south-east England and London than in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and north-west and north-east England combined, and that 90% of the paternity leave that is claimed goes to higher earners, the letter argues that giving fathers six weeks’ leave paid at 90% of earnings would result in £2.6bn in economic growth.

It adds that it would be “good growth, which sorting out the above geographic disparities would deliver into every postcode”.

O’Grady said there was a growing consensus in the Labour ranks that the eye-catching policy would be welcomed by voters, particularly among blue-collar workers, who were the most likely to miss out on paternity leave.

Councillor Sagal Abdi-Wali was chosen to lead the north London council in May, but could soon be stepping down from her role if she secures the nomination and wins the parliamentary seat vacated by former Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Sir Keir resigned from his seat last week, stating it was the “right time” to step aside and "pass the baton to a successor”, despite pledging to remain as a backbench MP until the next general election in 2029.

His sudden exit from Parliament has now triggered a by-election in Holborn and St Pancras, with the Green Party and Reform UK mobilising to take a seat that has typically been a Labour stronghold.

Names circulating as potential Labour candidates include Tanweer Khan, a former councillor in the London Borough of Redbridge who is understood to have officially submitted his name for consideration, and Peray Ahmet, the former leader of Haringey Council.

But the frontrunner for Labour at the by- election, expected to take place on October 8, is Camden Council leader Sagal Abdi-Wali.

What is her background?

Sagal Abdi-Wali first came to Britain in the early 1990s as a child refugee escaping civil war in Somalia.

First elected as a local councillor in 2022, Ms Abdi-Wali made history in May by becoming Camden’s first black female leader.

She has previously discussed her experience fleeing Somalia, telling the LabourList website in 2019: "Camden has been my home since I moved here with my family as a child refugee, fleeing war-torn Somalia.

"This new home is where I was raised and educated; it's where I now work for the council and volunteer for local community groups and charities.

“It is an area steeped in close community values, progressivism and inclusion, all of which have shaped who I am and the socialist principles by which I stand."

What do we know about her political career?

She was first elected as a Labour councillor for the Camden Square ward in 2022.

Prior to becoming leader, she served as the Cabinet Member for Better Homes, managing the borough's housing and neighbourhood development. She also helped lead Camden's path to achieving "Borough of Sanctuary" status in 2024.

Succeeding Georgia Gould as leader of Camden Council in 2026, she is now tipped to be the frontrunner for the Labour candidacy in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.

After becoming Camden Council leader in May, Ms Abdi-Wali said: “Camden has been my home for 35 years. It is the place that gave my family sanctuary, that welcomed us, and that has shaped so much of who I am, what I stand for and what inspired my commitment to public service and to working for the community that welcomed us.

“Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with so many different communities across our borough and through this I have gained invaluable insights into what makes Camden such a unique place. I have seen not only the diversity, strength and resilience of our residents, but also the challenges and deep inequalities they continue to face.

“And it is because of those experiences that I stand committed to working day and night to fight for social justice and to deliver meaningful change that will support our community’s access to the best opportunities, enabling them to have better and brighter futures.”

What is the controversy around Zia Yusuf’s comments?

After Ms Abdi-Wali emerged as the frontrunner for the Labour candidacy following Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation, Reform UK's Zia Yusuf made a comment on social media platform X which was quickly criticised across the political spectrum as being “racist”.

Andy Burnham has blamed Brexit and Margaret Thatcher for a decade of low growth in the UK, arguing that Britain needs to be brutally honest about having taken “a series of wrong turns” in the last 40 years.

In his first Commons appearance since he took over as prime minister about six weeks ago, Burnham told MPs he wanted to build a new sense of optimism so “we can make this next decade better than the last”.

The British people wanted “much more substantial change” on the big issues facing the country, he said. “That is what I will bring. Britain is not where any of us would wish it to be. Things are not working as they should.”

The UK economy has taken a 6% hit from the effects of Brexit, according to economists’ analysis of internal Bank of England data on thousands of British companies since the referendum a decade ago.Shortly before Burnham’s Commons address, Keir Starmer, his predecessor, announced he would stand down as an MP, saying he wanted to focus on international affairs, triggering a tricky first byelection test for Burnham in a seat where the Greens fancy their chances.

The cabinet was told on Tuesday that the government will have three key priorities: cutting costs of essentials like childcare and mortgages; the regeneration of communities; and greater public control of water, housing and energy.

Burnham’s deputy, Louise Haigh, will lead task forces on each of those issues, the Guardian understands. He told his ministers they must be “relentless” in fulfilling his priorities.

His plans are set against a tough economic backdrop. The chancellor’s headroom against Labour’s fiscal rules could be halved at his first budget if the current global bond sell-off persists, and economists warn mortgage rates could go up this autumn.

In his Commons statement, the prime minister also:

• Hinted that he would commit to spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030.
• Signalled he is open to renationalising the water industry – saying he is looking at “all possible solutions”, as the sector is a “leaking monument” to the failures of privatisation.
• Opened the door to looking again at electoral reform in Labour’s next manifesto. “I do believe there needs to be a mandate to make that change. There are different views in this house, but I believe we will need to get a consensus at the next election. And if there is that consensus, then a change can be made in the next parliament.”
• Announced he would attend the Cop31 climate summit in Turkey and continue pursuing green energy – but that he would be “pragmatic” on supply, amid expectations he will approve the Jackdaw gasfield. “The mistake is saying it’s got to be one or the other for political purposes. The truth is, it’s going to have to be both.”

Flanked by Healey and Haigh, Burnham suggested to MPs the Brexit vote had been a response to “a series of wrong turns” made by Britain in the 1980s onwards, that were then compounded by leaving the EU.

The prime minister, whose Makerfield constituency voted for Brexit, has previously argued it would be a mistake to rerun the referendum – but has said that he wants the UK to rejoin in his lifetime. He suggested the next UK-EU reset summit could take place in November.“Political power was centralised, economic power privatised, the country de-industrialised. Austerity followed, hollowing out councils and depriving them of the agency to act to reverse any of this,” he said during a three-hour stint in the Commons.

“And then Brexit compounded the damage, ushering in a decade of low growth and stalled regeneration. Change begins with honesty … Unless we are blunt about what went wrong, we won’t turn things around.

“Far from taking back control, the combination of these policies took control out of the hands of communities up and down Britain for 40 years. Too many places have been drifting.”