With the election just two weeks away, Knight Frank has updated its assessment of how the UK property market has fared under recent prime ministers.

It is interesting to see that the biggest price rises were under Tony Blair, whereas Gordon Brown is the only prime minister where house prices have actually dropped.

House prices also rose strongly when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister, but on an annualised basis, UK prices performed most strongly under Edward Heath.

Turning to housebuilding, Harold Wilson’s tenure as prime minister proved the most productive.

Housebuilding levels during David Cameron’s time at Number 10 are the lowest – but, says Knight Frank, this is a downward trend that has continued since 1970.

Grainne Gilmore, UK head of residential research at Knight Frank, said: “The decline in the annual rate of housebuilding under recent prime ministers underlines the importance of housing as an election issue.

“It is crucial that the next government introduce detailed, workable and effective measures to boost housing supply across the country.”