Chancellor says 20,000 homes were being held up due to ‘some snails that are a protected species or something’ Rachel Reeves unblocked a development of 20,000 homes that were being held up by a rare snail, after being approached by a developer with whom she said, “we have a good relationship”. The government has been working on planning reforms that nature experts say put wildlife at risk. The reforms could include discarding the EU-derived habitats regulations that protect rare animals, and adding more pro-building amendments to the planning and infrastructure bill, which is going through parliament. Continue reading...

Leader tells party’s conference he is ready to take the fight to Labour and speak out in support of immigration