A newly elected Labour MP has triggered a major public fallout over the party’s stance on planning reforms.
Chris Hinchliff has come under fire from senior Labour figures after criticising the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill and calling for a “left alternative” that prioritises environmental protections and mass council housebuilding. His remarks have sparked a fierce backlash from pro-growth MPs, who accuse him of blocking vital new housing.
The clash has exposed deep divisions within Labour, as the party tries to balance its bold housebuilding targets with growing pressure to protect nature and give communities a stronger voice in planning decisions.
Chris Hinchliff, the MP for North East Hertfordshire and a member of the Environmental Audit Committee, has said he will table an amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which aims to streamline housing and infrastructure development by reducing planning restrictions and environmental assessments.
The former policy officer for countryside charity CPRE wants to see a “progressive alternative” that focuses on public control of housing delivery and greater safeguards for nature. His proposed changes include empowering councils to determine the best locations for new homes and giving communities the right to appeal planning approvals in certain cases.
“The Planning and Infrastructure Bill slashes so-called red tape, stripping back democracy and environmental protections,” Hinchliff posted on X. “It lets developers off the hook for delaying builds to maximise profits. We need a left alternative – mass council housebuilding and getting tough on developers.”
Hinchliff also took a swipe at industry lobbyists and those he called “political mouthpieces” for developers, though he did not name anyone specifically.
“When I wrote about developers and their political mouthpieces, I wasn’t asking anyone to identify themselves,” he later added. “Time for a left alternative on planning: tough on developers, big on building council housing.”
Hinchliff’s remarks prompted backlash from pro-growth figures within the Labour Party who argue that obstructing planning reform could worsen the housing crisis.
Abdi Duale, a Labour National Executive Committee member, criticised Hinchliff's stance and pointed to the urgent need for housing in his constituency.
“The same old rhetoric, that puts the blockers before the builders, won’t put a roof over their heads,” Duale wrote. “Nor will MPs who take the side of the ‘save our bats and newts brigade’.”
Tom Williams of Labour Business echoed those concerns, accusing Hinchliff of undermining the party’s housing ambitions.
“It’s disappointing to see a Labour MP trying to block new homes by wrecking a flagship government bill,” he said. “We need more homes, not hollow excuses from a former CPRE lobbyist.”
Division over Labour’s growth agenda
The row highlights wider divisions in the party over how to deliver Labour’s promise of 1.5 million new homes.
The Labour Growth Group, an influential bloc of over 50 MPs, is backing major planning reform as essential to tackling the housing shortage.
In a recent letter to Keir Starmer, the group said: “Sweeping planning reforms are essential to get Britain building again. Delays and blockers in the current system are deepening the housing crisis.”
But not all senior Labour voices agree that deregulation is the answer. Veteran Labour MP Clive Betts has expressed scepticism that planning changes alone will fix the problem.
“Planning reforms by themselves, in my view, are not going to deliver the number of homes we need,” Betts said. “Major developers control supply and often hold back building to keep prices high.”
Despite internal dissent, the Labour leadership appears committed to the bill’s direction. Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, recently reaffirmed the government’s position: “We were very clear during the election campaign that we would come out of this on the side of getting things built more quickly. That may be controversial in some places - I’ve no doubt that it will be.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also defended the reforms saying the planning system has become "a chokehold on the growth our country needs" and that these reforms send “a very clear message to the Nimbys, the regulators, the blockers, the bureaucrats, the alliance of naysayers, the people who say no, Britain can’t do this. We can't get things done in our country, but we say to them, you no longer have the upper hand."
Environmental groups offer support
Outside Parliament, Hinchliff’s calls have gained support from nature and community organisations. The Community Planning Alliance backed his stance, and Craig Bennett, CEO of The Wildlife Trusts, urged Labour to embrace a more balanced approach.
“We could and should be building homes and rebuilding nature at the same time,” Bennett said. “This is a time for Labour MPs to help shape that win-win, rather than accept the damaging rhetoric that it has to be one or the other.”
As the Planning and Infrastructure Bill moves through Parliament, Labour’s internal debate may come to define the party’s broader identity - between growth-first pragmatism and a green, community-led alternative.
