The government has unveiled plans to give legal force to its threats to stop developers from building unless they pay up for cladding remediation costs.

It follows a reported letter from the chief executive of housebuilder Persimmon to the Department For Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) calling the sanctions “unlawful”.

The firm is understood to have sought legal advice from a QC over housing secretary Michael Gove’s warning to builders over an estimated £4bn bill for repairs to mid-rise blocks of between 11m and 18m in height.

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