EXCLUSIVE: Rachel Reeves has been urged to ‘come clean’ after saying she has a ‘good relationship’ with a developer she helped with planning issues.
Reeves admits helping developer with planning (Image: Getty)
Rachel Reeves has been urged to “come clean” after she revealed she has a “good relationship” with a property developer. The Chancellor disclosed that she personally stepped in to resolve a planning issue after a businessman brought it to her attention.
But the Conservatives have now demanded the Chancellor “come clean” about her involvement, and disclose the support she provided the developer in full.
Speaking to the Daily Express a Conservative Party source said: “Rachel Reeves has questions to answer about this case. She needs to come clean about her involvement in this planning application and the exact nature of the support she provided to the developer.”
It comes after a video seen by the Guardian showed the chancellor admitting she had unlocked planning applications that were held up due to what she called a “microscopic snail”.
Speaking last October at a Conference she said: “We knew about that issue because we’ve got a good relationship with the developer and he brought it to our attention. I didn’t just use it as an example of how bad things were but set about fixing it.” Rob Boughton, owner of Thakeham Homes, previously backed the Conservative Party as a significant donor, but switched his support to Labour in 2024.
He spoke at a Labour Party press conference in 2024, directly after Ms Reeves, and in 2023 his company sponsored a panel at the Labour Party Conference. Now the Conservatives are asking questions over how many meetings took place between the Chancellor and the developer, and whether all were properly declared in ministerial diaries.
Questions are also being asked about how the case was prioritised, with many developers across the country facing similar planning blockages. Senior Conservative MPs have called for clarity on the issue, with one telling the Express that “serious questions needed to be asked”.
A Treasury spokesperson said: “We are reforming the outdated planning system that’s been holding this country back, so we can build the 1.5 million homes and infrastructure people need.” Ministers regularly meet with a wide range of stakeholders relevant to their portfolios.
A Thakeham spokesperson said: “Thakeham engages with all political parties, communities and housing associations to promote quality homes that benefit local residents.” The company clarified it had not donated to Labour and said it engages with all political parties to promote new homes.
It is understood that the company’s most recent planning permission in the area was for a 95-home scheme in Ringmer, Sussex in December 2024. The row comes as the Government pushes ahead with plans to reform the planning system to deliver 1.5 million new homes.
Ms Reeves has been vocal about her determination to cut through planning red tape, frequently citing examples of developments blocked by what she considers outdated regulations.
