Brown accused of not being 'straight' over UK housing crisis » Housing » 24dash.com

Tory leader David Cameron today accused Gordon Brown of not being "straight" with people over the crisis in the housing market.

Yesterday, Housing Minister Caroline Flint was photographed walking to a Cabinet meeting with briefing notes warning that property prices may fall by 10% but later said the market was "strong".

Mr Brown acknowledged that the situation had "deteriorated in the last few weeks" but said the Government was taking measures to help first-time buyers get on the housing ladder.

Mr Cameron said the Prime Minister was "never going to get out of the hole he has dug for himself" unless he "starts being straight with people".

Mr Cameron said: "Yesterday it was revealed that in private the Housing Minister told the Cabinet that house prices would fall up to 10% this year, house building was stalling and further falls were predicted.

"Yet in public the same Minister said the housing market was strong."

He added: "In all other walks of life if someone said something like that the boss would say 'they shouldn't have, they got it wrong'."

But Mr Brown said: "The housing situation has deteriorated in the last few weeks. Why we are taking the measures we are doing are to protect first time buyers and give them new opportunity, to take out stock that is not being bought so that housing associations and other authorities can buy it and help people who are facing repossession."

The Tories, he said, had the biggest repossession rate "in our history" 15 years ago.