Reform UK MP Lee Anderson has mocked Labour plans to give councils stronger powers to take over long-term empty homes, suggesting they will simply be handed over to “foreign criminals”.
Mr Anderson responded after Labour announced it would make it easier for local leaders to bring empty and derelict properties back into use. Labour said the changes could help councils tackle the more than 300,000 long-term empty dwellings in England and provide much-needed housing for families.
Anderson's sarcastic reply
Mr Anderson hit back with a sarcastic response to the party's announcement on social media. Commenting on Labour’s post declaring that it “won’t sit back and allow empty dwellings to be left to rot”, he wrote: “Correct.”
He then added: “Then hand them over to Serco to house foreign criminals who've entered our country illegally. Genius!”
Changes to Empty Dwelling Management Orders
His comments came after the Government announced changes to the rules governing Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs). The measures are intended to allow councils to intervene sooner when properties have been left empty for extended periods.
Under the proposed changes, the period a property must be empty before it becomes eligible for an EDMO will be cut from two years to six months. The Government also plans to remove evidential requirements for councils applying to the residential property tribunal.
Ministers said this would simplify the process and give local authority empty homes officers greater scope to act “more decisively and with greater speed”. The Government is also exploring further changes to protect councils from the costs involved in managing properties subject to EDMOs.
Labour's housing figures
Labour said the powers allow councils to take over the management of long-term empty properties and bring them back into occupation for an initial period of 12 months, up to a total of eight years. However, it said no applications had been made since 2021.
The latest official figures cited by Labour show that 303,185 dwellings in England were classed as “long-term” empty in 2025, meaning they had been vacant for more than six months. The announcement came as the Labour Party’s annual conference opened in Liverpool.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said: “With so many children and families still in need of a safe and secure home, we can’t sit by and allow 300,000 long-term empty dwellings to be left unused.” She said Labour was “putting the tools in local leaders’ hands” to take over “desperately needed derelict homes” and put them back into use.
Labour also highlighted figures showing 177,530 homeless children in England were living in temporary accommodation.
Conservative criticism
But the Conservatives attacked the plans, claiming the number of vacant homes had risen by more than 55,000 since Labour came to power. Gareth Bacon, the Conservative shadow minister for housing and planning, said the announcement would “ring hollow” for councils and families waiting for homes.
He claimed Ms Rayner was “desperately reaching for any lever” because Labour was on course to miss its target of building 1.5 million homes. The Conservatives also criticised Labour for scrapping the New Homes Bonus for getting long-term empty properties back into use.
Mr Bacon said the party would instead scrap Stamp Duty to get the housing market moving. The Government's plans concern the management of qualifying empty properties and do not amount to councils taking ownership of the homes.
