Labour humiliated as Ed Miliband’s wife turns NIMBY over ‘too tall’ plans near family home

Keir Starmer has promised to fix the housing crisis in the UK by building 1.5 million new homes during this Parliament. He has blamed NIMBYs  people who say “not in my backyard” when it comes to new housing — for slowing down the country’s progress. He says their resistance to building more homes is a big reason why the economy is struggling to grow, and he plans to change planning laws to make building homes easier.

But now, some people are pointing out a problem close to home for his party. Ed Miliband, a top government minister, and his wife Dame Justine Thornton are being accused of doing exactly what Starmer is fighting against.

Justine Thornton, who is a High Court judge and Miliband’s wife, has objected to a new block of flats being built near their £3 million home in Dartmouth Park, North London. She told Camden Council that the flats are too tall, too bulky, and too densely packed for the area. She said the design doesn’t fit in with the surrounding homes or the look of the local conservation area.

Thornton made it clear that she isn’t against building new housing in general  she supports the idea  but believes this particular design should be rejected. She asked the council to consider the need for housing while also respecting the character of the neighborhood.

This has caused people to accuse Miliband and Thornton of hypocrisy. Miliband has publicly promised to take on those who block progress  calling them “blockers” and “obstructionists”  especially those who stand in the way of green energy and new housing. So people are now asking why his own household is trying to stop a new housing development in their area.

They’re not alone either. Actor Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife Sophie Hunter also raised objections. They worry that allowing this new development would ruin the classic look of Dartmouth Park.

They even said it could open the door to bigger, more disruptive projects in the future. They asked whether people would now be allowed to knock down their homes and build big apartment buildings without going through strict planning rules.

All of this has brought criticism from other politicians. Kevin Hollinrake, the Conservative shadow housing secretary, pointed out that Ed Miliband is now part of a group of 14 cabinet ministers who have opposed housing developments near their homes. He called it another case of “do as I say, not as I do” from the Labour government — accusing them of saying one thing publicly while doing something completely different in private.