Levelling up secretary’s ‘planning reset’ could reopen Tory splits over housebuilding

​Exclusive: Simon Clarke hopes to win over blue wall Tories by ending new-home targets as well as green and affordability rulesSimon Clarke, the levelling up secretary, threatens to reignite the feud over housebuilding within the Conservative party with a significant “planning reset” that could water down environmental protections and affordable home requirements across England.The latest in Liz Truss’s string of supply side reforms – nicknamed “Operation Rolling Thunder” in Whitehall – is slated to be launched by Clarke within weeks, and is expected to see him argue for a flurry of housing development as part of the government’s “dash for growth”. Continue reading…