THE GOVERNMENT “does not have a hope in hell” of delivering its housing targets.

Wes Streeting, Labour MP for Ilford North, warned Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer, that his aim to build more than 300,000 new homes per year is unachievable unless councils have more freedom to invest in new properties.

He accused the government of fuelling homelessness with “punitive” benefit cuts and of ignoring building affordable homes in favour of costing Brexit.

Mr Streeting said: “The government doesn’t have a hope in hell’s chance of meeting its target of building over 300,000 homes a year unless it sets local councils free to invest in new property.

“Instead, by forcing more people into homelessness with punitive welfare cuts and forcing London councils to fork out more than £600 million each year to pay for substandard temporary accommodation the Government is penny wise and pound foolish.

“I’m calling on the government to commit to spending £7 billion each year to provide social rented homes to end the crisis that sees more than 100,000 children living in temporary accommodation.

“It tells you everything you need to know about the state of our Government that the Budget committed more money to the costs of Brexit than it did to building affordable homes.”

Mr Streeting addressed Mr Hammond at a Treasury Committee meeting on Thursday, December 7.