Housing policy has taken centre stage as a key manifesto issue for the main political parties, ahead of next week's formal dissolution of Parliament next week.

Weekend reports suggest a revamped Right to Buy will form a cornerstone of the Conservative Party's attempts to woo skilled working-class voters in key campaign constituencies.

This could involve the adoption of eye-catching proposals floated by welfare secretary Iain Duncan Smith to ‘gift' tenants their council home after a year in employment.