With a major housebuilder making record-breaking profits of over £1bn last year, inviting the secretary of state to speak at its annual conference in March might not have been the Home Builders Federation’s smartest move.

James Brokenshire didn’t hold back. “For most people, buying a home is one of the biggest financial and emotional investments of their lives. And for that to go from being a cherished dream to becoming a nightmare of snagging problems months after moving in and punitive costs is simply unacceptable.”

The fact that the same housebuilder also profited most from Help to Buy and has consistently ranked among the worst when it comes to build quality, would not have escaped him. Brokenshire went on to warn that he would be, “…considering carefully how the developers who work with us meet the standards and quality that customers expect and deserve.”

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