Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has confirmed that the Government’s previous target of building 300,000 homes a year by 2025 is now ‘advisory’ only.

In a letter to MPs, Gove argued the planning system is “not working as it should.”

“If we are to deliver the new homes this country needs,” he continued, “new development must have the support of local communities.”

Once a manifesto pledge, the number was initially argued to be the minimum necessary to house the country’s rising population and reduce housing inequality.

The policy has since proved controversial, however, with many decrying the ‘mutant algorithm’ determining where these homes will be placed, and more recently back-bench Tory’s rebelling on its continued implementation.