Keir Starmer warned against 'bricking over green land' to house 'vast numbers of migrants' as staggering new data unveiled

New research has found that nearly four in 10 new homes built by 2030 will be needed to accommodate migrants arriving in Britain.

According to the OBR, net migration between 2026 and 2030 is expected to reach almost 1.2 million people.

Using ONS data on average household size, the Conservatives estimate this would require around 500,000 additional homes for new arrivals alone.

Backing the Conservatives in their analysis of the data, Mr Shipley told GB News that although the Tories were responsible for "massively expanding migration", their assessment is "still true".

"The Conservatives did spend 14 years massively expanding migration, not building houses, not building prisons, but what they are saying is still true," he stated.

Mr Shipley expressed concern that actual construction figures would fall even shorter, given the sharp decline in housing starts currently being witnessed.

He warned that the influx would inevitably push up both living expenses and property values, whilst simultaneously putting downward pressure on wages.

"You're not going to convince people to allow houses to be built in their communities if they know they're going to go to migrants," Mr Shipley argued.

He suggested that residents might welcome new developments in their towns and villages if they believed their own children and relatives would benefit from the additional housing stock.

"Massively bricking over the green and pleasant land in order to house vast numbers of migrants, it's just never going to get popular consent," he added.

Mr Shipley accused the Government of pursuing policies that directly contradict its stated objectives.

"As is often the case with this particular Government, they say they want to achieve something and their actual policy does the opposite," he said.

He pointed to employment regulations as an example, arguing ministers claim to seek economic growth whilst introducing measures that raise hiring costs and burden businesses.

On housing specifically, Mr Shipley maintained that genuine progress would require cutting red tape and streamlining planning approvals, neither of which the Government appears willing to pursue.

"The reality is new house builds are falling off a cliff, especially in London. So it clearly isn't working," he concluded.

Mr Shipley highlighted research from Denmark to support his argument, noting that the UK lacks comprehensive data on migration's effects.

"A recent study from Denmark suggests that 88 per cent of the rise in house prices since the beginning of the century is down to migration," he told GB News.

He argued the situation was likely comparable in Britain, meaning mass immigration bears significant responsibility for pricing young people out of the property market.

"Actually, we need to stop and reverse that if we want to solve this problem," Mr Shipley concluded, calling for a fundamental shift in policy to address housing affordability for the next generation.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Government said: "We are pulling every lever to build 1.5 million homes, restore the dream of homeownership and end the housing crisis we inherited.

"This is alongside the biggest overhaul of Britain’s settlement model in 50 years, to tackle the unacceptably high levels of net migration in recent years which under this Government, is down by nearly 70 per cent."