Rishi Sunak – live: Prime Minister forced to delay housing construction reforms amid Tory rebellion

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Related: Dominic Raab faces charges he called Labor leader a w***er

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Rishi Sunak was forced to delay planning reforms due to a major pushback from Tory MPs, demanding an end to the mandatory target of building 300,000 homes a year .

The prime minister faced a major test of his leadership next Monday when parliamentarians were to vote on the landmark race-up bill.

But nearly 50 backbench MPs and former ministers have signed an amendment that would ban councils from considering housing targets when deciding on planning applications.

Meanwhile, two senior Tories announced yesterday that they will stand down as MPs in the next general election.

Former Work and Pensions Secretary Chloe Smith, said she was leaving parliament, followed hours later by William Wragg, who chairs the Select Committee on Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs.

Questions over the choice of colleagues from the cabinet by Mr Sunak have not stopped as Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab is set to be investigated over allegations of bullying behaviour.

Backbench rebellion and brewing unrest on multiple fronts comes as the Prime Minister takes on Sir Keir Starmer in the Commons today.