𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Reform UK has appointed the former boss of Homes England as its new housing tsar. Simon Dudley is the party’s latest appointment, taking on the job as spokesman on housing and infrastructure.

He previously served as chairman for Homes England and the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, where he oversaw tens of thousands of new builds. With 30 years of business experience, Mr Dudley worked primarily in banking and private equity before becoming a managing director at the well-known bank, Citi.

Announcing the appointment, Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader, said that Mr Dudley was “exactly what we need”. He lavished praise on his new colleague, saying: “He understands planning, finance and regeneration. He knows how to get projects moving … this is essential to increase growth and prosperity.”

Mr Tice added: “Britain is not building enough homes, not building enough infrastructure and not creating the conditions for businesses to grow.

“The system is clogged by delay, overregulation and absurdly high costs. This is all due to weak, inexperienced leadership in such a vital activity.”

He will now take the lead on what party figures say will be an urgent review into the building crisis in the UK. It is understood that the review will focus on urgent reforms to the planning system intended to enable more homes to be built as well as the rollout of national infrastructure, with a focus on reducing costs and timescales.

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Mr Dudley said that the country was facing a “building crisis”, which he claimed was forcing young people to be locked out of ever owning a home.

Home ownership among the under-35s has nosedived in recent years as house prices have risen and governments have consistently missed targets to build new homes.

Families have been left paying high rents because of this, Mr Dudley claimed.

He added: “I have spent my career delivering homes and major regeneration schemes. I know that with the right reforms, we can move quickly and at scale.

“Our urgent review will examine how to simplify planning, accelerate infrastructure and unlock land for homes and jobs. We will focus on practical steps that can be implemented fast.”

Reform UK is currently leading in every major opinion poll, and Nigel Farage has unveiled several appointments to his “front bench”, including naming his MPs to senior positions dubbed the “Reform shadow cabinet” last month.