A housing crisis in the UK is because of a lack of bricklayers. Britain needs more homes so young people can get on the housing ladder. Rising rent and unaffordable housing have increased rough sleeping. Many governments have failed to meet housebuilding targets. The latest government said it needs more bricklayers and skilled tradespeople. The UK needs an extra 25,000 bricklayers to fulfil its promise to build 1.5 million new homes.

The UK blamed the lack of workers on "years of underinvestment in skills". It said it was doing its best to build 300,000 new homes. It added: "We will pull every lever to deliver on our commitment." However, a housebuilding consultant called the government's homebuilding pledge "unrealistic". He said training enough workers could take "a generation". He called the current target of 5,000 new apprenticeships each year a "drop in the ocean".