A Conservative MP who this month threatened to run for the party leadership has been rebuked for confusing the government’s aspirational long-term housing delivery target with the actual number of new houses built last year.

George Freeman’s mistake, made on a BBC debate programme, was labelled “badly informed” by BD housing columnist Julia Park, while RIBA president Ben Derbyshire said he found such “loose bandying around” of figures “disconcerting”.

Freeman, who is MP for Mid Norfolk and a former policy adviser to prime minister Theresa May, was a guest on the most recent episode of Radio 4’s Any Questions? programme along with shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry.

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