Rachel Reeves unveils Labour's plan to fast-track UK infrastructure

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has unveiled Labour's plans to "get Britain building again" by reforming the "antiquated" planning system.

Reeves used her speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool today to make the case for "overhauling planning rules to speed up green energy, battery factories and 5G projects" as one of the best ways to achieve economic growth, the BBC reported.

"If we want to spur investment, restore economic security and revive growth, then we must get Britain building again," Reeves said. "The Tories would have you believe we can't build anything in Britain any more. In fact, the single biggest obstacle to building infrastructure, to investment and to growth in this country is the Conservative Party itself."

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Citing the controversial scrapping of HS2, Reeves pledged that Labour will examine "line by line" every ongoing major existing capital infrastructure project on its first day in office. She also set out a "once-in a generation" set of reforms to speed up the building of "critical infrastructure" for energy, transport and housing, including a promise to fast-track planning applications for battery factories, life sciences and 5G technology.

And as a sweetener for those living near new large infrastructure projects such as wind turbines, Reeves said local communities will "feel the benefits", including through lower energy bills. 

Senior executives were "lined up to welcome Reeves' planning proposals", said the Financial Times, in a sign of Labour's "increasingly close relationship" with business leaders. 

Martin McTague, chair of the Federation of Small Businesses, told the paper the proposals are a "clear, grown-up policy that will help deliver infrastructure projects we need to stay competitive, return to growth and stop the curse of chopping and changing”.

His reaction is "likely to be seen as a riposte to [Rishi] Sunak’s recent U-turns on HS2 and net zero targets", added the paper, "which have been criticised by UK business leaders for creating economic uncertainty".