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Hello, I'm Susan Hume and this is the Today in Parliament podcast for Tuesday the 16th of December.

Coming up, the government reveals its latest drive to get more houses built in England,

but some say the countryside will suffer.

Laurie Parks in Greenfields green lighted. Also, after the jailing of a former reform politician

for taking Russian bribes, a review into foreign interference in British democracy.

It is right that we now take a step back to look at how we can protect our democracy against such appalling crimes.

And as farmers protest against the farm inheritance tax outside Parliament with tractors and muck, there's sympathy for them inside.

Governments have to bring about sensible reform. Sensible reform is not someone lying in an early grave.

But first, areas around train stations in England will be prioritised for new house building

under the government's latest planning strategy. Ministers have set a target to deliver 1.5 million new homes by the time of the next election.

But MPs on both signs were worried about the future of Greenbelt land

and about barriers to homes being built at all.

The Minister Matthew Penny Cook said he was setting out the next stage of reforms

to revamp the planning system in England.

He said it would include a presumption that

sustainable building in urban areas should go ahead in addition. A default yes for suitable proposals

for development land around rail stations within existing settlements and around well-connected

stations outside settlements, including on Greenbelt land, ensuring that sufficiently

dense development comes forward around existing transport infrastructure.

The Minister said the government also wanted more dense housing in urban and suburban areas,

...