Sadiq Khan to blame for slump in London housing starts, think tank says

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been accused of hiding from public view over the tube strikes.

Sadiq Khan is to blame for a dearth in housebuilding in London, a leading think tank has warned, as new construction projects slumped to their lowest level seen in years.

A perfect storm of challenging macroeconomic conditions, needlessly stringent regulation and a sluggish planning process has helped push construction rates down to just 4,170 housing starts in the 2024/25 financial year, the lowest rate of any region in the UK.

“Like straws on a camel’s back, [these factors] have combined to break building in London,” a report by the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) said.

“The government and the mayor need to urgently remove the obstacles to building homes in London – before an already bleak si