Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith is set to unveil an ambitious deregulation package worth billions as the Conservatives attempt to rebuild momentum ahead of the next general election. The economic blueprint, to be outlined at the party’s annual conference in Birmingham, includes plans to scrap key environmental bodies, dismantle net zero housing requirements and expand Heathrow Airport – measures the party claims could slash the average cost of a new home by approximately £50,000.
Dismantling environmental oversight
The Conservatives’ most controversial proposals centre on abolishing two cornerstone environmental agencies – Natural England and the Environment Agency – transferring their responsibilities directly to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). In a move described as part of a “bonfire of red tape”, Griffith told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the change aims to cut through “the complexity, the morass, the spider’s web” of current bureaucratic structures.
The rationale, according to Conservative sources, is to streamline the approval process for new developments and reduce what they characterise as excessive regulatory burden. The party argues that removing these intermediaries will accelerate housing delivery without compromising local input on planning decisions.
The proposals would also see the elimination of the Future Homes Standard and associated housebuilding rules scheduled to take effect next year, which currently mandate low-carbon heating technologies such as heat pumps or district heat networks in new residential construction.
Housing cost reduction drive
Conservative estimates suggest the deregulation package could reduce the average cost of a newly built property by roughly £50,000. To achieve this, the party plans to replace current section 106 agreements and the community infrastructure levy – mechanisms that require developers to contribute towards local infrastructure including affordable housing – with a single streamlined charge designed to expedite approvals.
Griffith, speaking ahead of his conference address, acknowledged the challenging fiscal landscape but emphasised that the initial Conservative budget would prioritise tax cuts aimed at stimulating economic growth. “We’re going to have a very difficult situation,” he told Sky News. “We won’t be able to do everything that we want to do on day one.”
The party also signals potential support for expanding Heathrow Airport’s capacity through a third runway, drawing a clear line with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government, which has so far avoided endorsing the project to prevent prejudicing ongoing planning applications.
Fiscal ambitions and political positioning
The Conservative leadership, led by Kemi Badenoch, is positioning these proposals as part of a broader vision to restore economic prosperity. Griffith indicated that, should the party win power, they would ultimately aim to abolish inheritance tax entirely – though he acknowledged financing such a move would require careful planning.
The party’s approach extends beyond housing and environment, with plans to simplify the UK’s tax code, which Griffith described as a “cat’s cradle of complexity”. Additional measures include scrapping the extended producer responsibility scheme that requires businesses to cover packaging waste management costs – a change the Conservatives estimate could free up £1.5 billion for other uses.
Griffith defended the proposals against criticism that they represented a return to policies that “let so many people down over the past 40 years”, pointing to Labour’s own challenges with housing affordability and economic stagnation. “Countries on the rise have the best infrastructure and connectivity to the world but our national hub airport is being held back,” he is expected to argue.
