“We will not solve this problem unless the government is prepared to take on the Nimbies in the way Margaret Thatcher took on the striking miners.
“Britain’s housing supply falls far short of what we see in comparable countries, and the problem is particularly dire in those parts of the UK where housing demand is highest."
The IEA has therefore called on the government to create a more rules-based system, whereby "developers that play by the rules automatically get planning permission, without having to haggle with every troublemaker and every obstructionist over every plot".
simoney.kyriakou@ft.com
*This has been amended on May 13 to reflect the change in legislation by DCMS to bring financial scams within the scope of the Online Safety Bill