In January this year, Vicky Payne and I attended an event with the now former Minister for Housing, Lee Rowley. During a largely convivial exchange with a group of disgruntled, but by no means disenfranchised planners, the now former MP linked our housing crisis to “mass immigration”.

Ignoring the decades of shortfall in housing delivery, 14 years of austerity which have decimated local planning authorities, and the series of economic policies that make it all but impossible for local authorities to build their own stock, the Conservative government were determined to draw attention towards migrants and away from their own failings. Shortly after the event their Twitter page shared an image reading: “British Homes for British People: we’re ensuring decent hard-working people are prioritised for the home they need”. This type of rhetoric became more frequent as the party grew increasingly aware of their imminent electoral demise...

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The complete article has been published on the Architects Journal.