THE MP Taunton and Wellington Gideon Amos has been branded a “NIMBY” by housing secretary Steve Reed MP during a tense parliamentary exchange.

Mr Amos (who has represented the constituency since July 2024) serves as the Liberal Democrats’ spokesperson for housing and communities, and has been a frequent critic of the Labour government’s planning reforms.

During a debate in the House of Commons on Monday (June 15), Mr Amos argued that the government was putting green spaces “under threat”, citing the impact of proposed development near the Wellington Monument on the edge of the Blackdown Hills.

Mr Reed – who represents the Streatham and Croydon North constituency – responded by calling Mr Amos and his party “NIMBYs”, claiming that they were “slamming the door shut in the faces of young people” who were desperate to find affordable housing.

‘NIMBY’ is a pejorative term meaning ‘not in my back yard’, typically used to slight an individual or group who are opposed to housing in their local area but would approve of an identical development further afield.

Mr Amos – who lives in Taunton – laid out his criticism of the government’s planning reforms in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon (June 15).

He said: “What many people see as the government’s developer-led planning approach is draining local communities’ trust in the planning system.

“The new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) proposes the most centralising changes in planning in my lifetime.

“It will mandate granting permissions under wider than ever presumptions in favour of sustainable development, which for the first time will overrule Local Plans.

“With no statutory protection available to them, even the most precious green spaces – not just national landscapes, not just land around railway stations – and the nature they support are under threat, including land at the Wellington Monument in my constituency.

“As the National Trust launches its ‘nature equals future’ campaign, will the government allow this House to debate and vote on the proposed new NPPF, which according to the Town and Country Planning Association signifies an ‘unprecedentedly permissive planning regime’?”

Mr Reed – who was appointed housing secretary in September 2025, following the resignation of Angela Rayner MP – said he was “very disappointed” that the Lib Dems were “arguing the case for NIMBYs”, given the party clamouring for the government to address the housing crisis.

He said: “In other circumstances, I have heard the Lib Dems recognise that we have a housing crisis, recognise that the number of families in temporary accommodation doubled under the previous government, recognise that the number of people left sleeping on our streets doubled under the previous government. and that young people cannot find anywhere they can afford to rent or buy.

“We fix that by getting a fair balance between the rights of people who need a home to buy and the rights of local people over their local area.

“They need Local Plan proposals to give local people the framework within which they can express their views, but we have to speed up the slowest planning system in the western world if we want to get people the homes they deserve and have a right to live in.”

Mr Amos refuted the allegation of NIMBYism, stating that his constituents were trying to balance the need for new housing with the need to protect Somerset’s beloved green spaces

He said: “They are not NIMBYs; they are trying to protect the most important nature in our country.”

Mr Reed responded: “Just to be clear, I was not calling people who care about the green belt NIMBYs; I was calling the honourable gentleman and his colleagues on the Lib Dem benches NIMBYs.

“We have retained protections for the green belt, but we need to get new homes built.

“I am sorry if the Lib Dems want to deprive young people of the chance to find somewhere they can afford to rent, and deprive young people who want somewhere to buy to get that vital first foot on the housing ladder.

“They used to support aspiration; now they are slamming the door shut in the faces of young people who want to get on in their lives.”

The National Trust, which owns the Wellington Monument, is asking the government to recognise “the essential role nature plays in the UK’s well-being, prosperity and long‑term future” through the ‘nature equals future’ campaign.

Specifically, the charity is asking the government to honour the UK’s commitment to manage 30 per cent of land for nature by 2030, by designating more space for nature and “paying our farmers properly to help nature thrive”.

It also wants government to stop weakening laws which protect nature, introduce a strong Water Reform Bill, and ensure that both new and existing neighbourhood are “rich in nature”.

The National Trust is asking its members and the general public to write to their local MPs to show their support for this campaign.