The Conservative Party faces a crisis and it’s not just Brexit. Speaker after speaker at this week’s party conference, including communities secretary Sajid Javid, argued that lack of housing to rent and buy was now the party’s biggest single issue and was driving younger voters into the arms of Labour. So Mr Javid announced new regulations for the private rental market.

Chancellor Philip Hammond added a further £10bn to the Help to Buy scheme which has been criticised for fuelling demand but not increasing supply and housing minister Alok Sharma boasted about the 20% increase in planning fees to speed up the planning system.