Davey tackles Blair on affordable housing

31.10.02

MP tells PM to stop finding scapegoats and sort out housing crisis

At Prime Minister's Questions yesterday in the House of Commons, Kingston and Surbiton MP, Edward Davey, quizzed Tony Blair about the shortage of affordable housing.

Edward Davey is concerned about the problem of finding affordable homes within the Royal Borough and more widely across London and the South East of England. On the eve of a special Government summit on "Urban Policy", Mr Davey used a rare slot at Prime Minister's Questions to tackle the Prime Minister on the crisis in housing.

Edward Davey's question also followed comments made by the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, in Wednesday morning's Guardian newspaper, blaming Britain's building industry for the problems of lack of affordable housing. Mr Prescott was quoted as saying that Britain's building industry was "the most inefficient in the world".

Commenting in Parliament afterwards, Edward Davey said:

"The shortage of affordable housing in Kingston and surrounding areas is probably worse now than it's ever been. Yet for five years Ministers have done almost nothing to address it and by continuing Conservative controls on councils, they stopped others from tackling it.

"So it's no use John Prescott blaming builders. He's got to work with them, not against them. I gave the Prime Minister a chance to make his Deputy see sense, but he blew it."

For more information see the BBC News.