Dave Hanson. hear hear. No government should have to pull 250,000 houses out of a hat, because the policy of ensuring that every single citizen has the right to roof over their head should never have been abandoned by successive governments, Labour, Tory or coalition.

This is not just the most iniquitous act I have come across in many a long day, it is also the most stupid. It will go down in history alongside that other failed tax on people's living accommodation; the Window Tax.