Andrew Griffith to Outline Tory Plans for Lower Taxes and Regulation

What changed

Conservative shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith is set to outline plans for lower taxes, less regulation and cheaper house-building at the party conference in Birmingham. The proposals include replacing Section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy with a single developer charge, removing selected environmental and energy-efficiency rules, and abolishing Natural England and the Environment Agency.

The Conservatives estimate their housing changes could cut the cost of delivering a new home by up to £50,000. Griffith also supports expanding Heathrow Airport and says the party would keep the pensions triple lock.

Why it matters

This is opposition policy, not a government programme. But it sets out a clear Conservative argument: Britain can build more homes and infrastructure by reducing the rules and institutions that currently slow projects down.

For house builders, the proposed single levy could make development costs and negotiations easier to predict. The party says it would also reduce delays and improve how money reaches local communities. The claimed saving of up to £50,000 per home is not yet a proven reduction in prices for buyers; it is the Conservatives’ estimate of a possible cut in delivery costs.

The sharper trade-off lies in the environmental changes. Removing energy-efficiency rules could lower construction costs, while abolishing Natural England and the Environment Agency would transfer their functions elsewhere. The full policy design, funding, timetable and safeguards are still unspecified, so the effects on house prices, construction volumes and infrastructure delivery remain unproven.

Griffith’s support for Heathrow expansion puts infrastructure at the centre of the pitch. He also wants faster delivery of reservoirs and reactors, presenting the issue as a test of whether the UK can get major projects built at all.

The political calculation is straightforward: after the Conservatives’ heavy defeat in 2024, the party is trying to make economic growth, cheaper homes and deregulation its route back to government. Labour has answered that the Conservatives had 14 years in office to deliver those outcomes and failed. The next major test will be the UK Budget scheduled for 28 October 2026.