Leaked Boris proposal to let tenants buy their homes criticised as ‘hare brained’

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Renters could be offered the chance to buy their homes from housing associations under a new pilot scheme being considered by Boris Johnson.

In a move which could reduce demand from private renters as more tenants become homeowners, The Telegraph reports that the Prime Minister has told officials to revive plans which first appeared in David Cameron’s 2015 Conservative manifesto.

It aimed to give the 2.5 million households in England who rent properties from housing associations the ability to buy their homes at a discount of up to 70%.

It cited a source saying Johnson was “very excited” about rejuvenating Thatcher’s original right-to-buy policy.

However, questions remain about how housing associations would be compensated and how their stock would be replenished.

The Telegraph suggested another idea being considered is for government spending on housing benefit to be used to help recipients get mortgages.

More than one million households are already on social housing waiting lists in England according to Shelter.

Chief executive Polly Neate (pictured) criticised the “hare-brained idea” as “the opposite of what the country needs”, while housing experts warned that the policy amounted to the sell-off of affordable homes during the cost-of-living crisis and called instead for an increase in housebuilding.

“Right to buy has already torn a massive hole in our social housing stock as less than 5% of the homes sold off have ever been replaced. These half-baked plans have been tried before and they’ve failed,” said Neate.

Lisa Nandy (pictured), Labour’s shadow communities secretary, called the plan “desperate” and added: “Millions of families in the private rented sector with low savings and facing sky-high costs and rising bills, need far more ambitious plans to help them buy their own home.”

Read more: Why have the Tories turned on landlords?

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