One of the deepest problems with Britain’s housing crisis is that homeownership slips further out of reach with every passing year.

Young adults in the Farnham and Bordon area tell me that buying a home feels increasingly abstract – more fantasy than achievable goal as they advance into adulthood, despite working hard and doing everything expected of them.

This is as much a political failure as a socio-economic one.

The Government focuses heavily on supply-side issues. That includes backlogs caused by building safety and the stock of newly-built houses ready for a growing population.

These issues deserve attention, but the Labour Government is failing to solve them effectively or at the pace required.

The Prime Minister’s repeated insistence on delivering 1.5 million homes is unhelpful and misleading. Industry experts know it is unachievable.

Last month, the Lloyds Bank Chief Executive warned it would “take a miracle” to hit the target and urged ministers to act “bolder and faster” in the face of persistent undersupply.

Progress since July 2024 has been alarmingly slow.

Official figures show housebuilding completions in England have fallen sharply to levels not seen in over a decade and remain lower than under the Conservatives, despite Keir Starmer’s slogans and Angela Rayner’s boasts of rapid delivery.

Net additions since the election are far below the pace required for their manifesto pledge.

The Government must now be honest with communities about the viability of that pledge. Otherwise, we risk an entire generation seeing homeownership as unattainable while political will to deliver homes steadily evaporates.

A necessary alternative is tackling demand-side barriers. Stamp duty traps young buyers on the first rung and prevents older owners from downsizing, often costing more than a year’s retirement income just to move.

Conservatives will scrap stamp duty on primary residences.

This reform would unblock stagnation, freeing older owners to downsize, releasing family-sized homes for younger buyers.

By stimulating natural turnover, it reduces pressure to build on greenfield sites and protects our countryside and Green Belt for future generations.

Labour’s approach, by contrast, burdens rural communities with unachievable targets while ignoring the real barriers preventing people from buying.

Hiking targets and pursuing impossible policies does not deliver homes. It confuses the market and alienates a generation wondering why they cannot get on the ladder.

Without honesty, targeted reforms, and meaningful action, young people risk being condemned to a future where owning a home remains a distant dream, while our irreplaceable countryside faces needless and avoidable pressure.