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Housing and Regeneration Bill

I think we have already established that unity is not necessarily in evidence among members of the people's party, particularly in respect of the right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich. His was a lonely voice as he ploughed the Blairite furrow. The Opposition are minded to support new clause 1, because we feel that a strong case has been made, for which I shall give some historical context. My party has been responsible for progressive social housing policies over the past 100 years. As Members know, in the 1950s the Macmillan Government delivered record amounts of house building. I can understand why the hon. Gentleman is upset and somewhat disillusioned with his Government when we look at the figures—the killer facts. House building starts fell between 2006 and 2007. I have a lot of respect for the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock). As a Portsmouth city councillor of long standing and an erstwhile Hampshire county councillor he knows his onions, but I have to tell him that the average social housing build was 47,000 a year under the Conservatives and only 17,300 under the unlamented former Member for Sedgefield.