Curb on EU workers ‘will cut new homes by HALF’: Key builder says Brexit fallout could fuel crisis in construction
One of the country’s largest housebuilders has warned that cutting off the supply of EU workers to Britain’s building sites could halve the number of homes being built.
The warning adds to fears that curbing migration as part of Brexit plans could worsen Britain’s already chronic housing crisis and blow a hole in the last Government’s ambitions to build one million houses in the next five years.
Rob Perrins, chief executive of housebuilder Berkeley Group, said: ‘Half the workers who build Britain’s homes are European nationals. So if we get migration wrong, costs will go up and we’ll probably deliver half as many homes. The debate about work permits is one of the single most important issues during the negotiations to leave.’
Graphic by Shutterstock