Mortgage lenders have called for a housing ministry to be established by any future government, with a Secretary of State for housing having a seat at the Cabinet.

The Building Societies Association is also calling for a cross-party 15-year plan for housing.

The BSA has produced an eight-page document called Housing at the Heart of Government: A Manifesto for Change.

In it, the BSA warns of inadequate rates of new house building and high private rental costs.

The BSA also says that government had been happy to stoke demand, but done little to address supply.

Its ‘manifesto’ warns that pressure on housing will only get worse.