Two of Cumbria’s new MPs have joined more than 50 colleagues in signing a letter from the newly entitled ‘Labour Growth Group’.

Carlisle MP, Julie Minns and Workington and Whitehaven MP, Josh MacAlister are both co-signatories on a letter to the Prime Minister calling on him to keep to his commitment to build 1.5 million new homes in the next five years.

The letter calls on the Prime Minister to ‘grasp the nettle and go for growth’ and to help ease the ‘housing crisis’.

“Growing the economy will be the way in which we can unlock Britian’s untapped potential, better fund our vital public services and make people better off in every part of the country,” said the letter.

“This absolutely has to start with the sweeping planning reforms to get Britain building again.

“That’s why we are writing to you to make clear that it’s in the national interest to start delivering on our manifesto promise, including 1.5million more homes across this parliament at the earliest opportunity.”

The government has proposed a series of major planning reforms to take some powers away from local communities to enable more houses to be built across the country which the party have said is key to economic growth across the country.

Critics of the plans has said that Labour is looking to ‘concrete’ over the countryside but the MPs’ letter has urged the government to take the ‘tough’ choice to ‘unlock the dream’ of homeownership while ‘boosting economic growth’.

Cumbria has seen a number large scale housing projects being built over the past few years and the county can expect to see more houses built under Labour’s new plans.

A key project planned in the region is the St Cuthbert’s Garden Village which would see 10,000 new homes built on the outskirts of Carlisle.

“We know this (planning reform) will mean tough choices,” says the letter.

“It will mean backing the builders and not the blockers. It will mean delivering infrastructure and public services alongside new homes… and it will difficult conversations in our own communities about how, not whether we meet our targets.

“Without decisive action, including to reform planning policy, the United Kingdom will remain in a trap of low growth, meaning we cannot make our country more prosperous.

“We stand ready to help to deliver change across our country.”