Last night Labour led a rebellion in the Lords over the government’s reckless plans to remove restrictions on water pollution to build new homes.

Labour will build the homes Britain needs without polluting our rivers. Haven’t the Tories done enough damage to our waterways already? Why find new ways of damaging our natural world?

The Tories have utterly failed in their attempt to score cheap political points with a flawed plan. Labour’s amendment demonstrates our commitment to serious reform and building a consensus for a credible alternative based on evidence, and not at the expense of rivers.

Labour is ready to sit down with the Government, housebuilders and environmental groups to agree on a workable solution to build the homes we need. Ministers have only themselves to blame if they reject this opportunity.