Skip to main content
Donate to the 95 years appeal
At least a tenth of Tory donations since 2010 are from property industry, research finds
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivers his keynote speech at the Conservative Party annual conference at Manchester Central convention complex, October 4, 2023

HOUSEBUILDERS and developers have reaped billions of pounds due to the Tories’ delays to building regulations, all while becoming one of the Conservative Party’s largest sources of donations, research found today. 

An analysis by The Guardian shows that property developers and construction professionals contribute roughly 10 per cent of donations to the Tory Party. They have donated approximately £40 million since 2010.

Delays to implementing environmental regulations, and green-lighting the building of high-carbon homes, without solar panels and batteries, heat pumps and effective insulation, has benefited the construction industry by at least £15 billion since 2015.

Last month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak showed little sign of moving forward with his environmental commitments, announcing a U-turn on his net-zero policies. 

Among his new plans is a proposition to relax environmental rules that would have prevented housebuilders from polluting waterways. 

The analysis suggests that if homeowners or taxpayers are left to cover the cost of addressing these omissions to help Britain meet its net-zero targets, it could result in an astonishing expense of £45bn. 

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
COSY CLUB: Akshata Murty has been appointed a trustee of the
Features / 11 April 2025
11 April 2025
Why is the Labour government so addicted to giving government jobs to Tories when it spent so long trying to oust them? In the hope the favour is returned the next time the Tories return to power, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
UTTER REJECTION: A contingent od disabled protesters move to
Features / 31 March 2025
31 March 2025
The economic value of disability benefits far outweighs their cost, argues Dr DYLAN MURPHY
POLLUTION WARNING: An Axe Drax protest held in Leeds 
Pic:
Environment / 14 February 2025
14 February 2025
THE WAY FORWARD: A general view of the Viking windfarm SSE R
Features / 17 January 2025
17 January 2025
Thanks to impressive progress in Britain with wind and solar generation, clean electricity now costs a fraction of the price of gas — yet the current system keeps bills artificially high to protect fossil fuels, writes TOM HARDY