Morning Briefing: backlash over May’s PMQs comments

In the news

Homelessness was in the news yesterday, with a damning Public Accounts Committee report accusing the government of complacency on the issue. So it was no surprise to see it pop up in Prime Minister’s Questions.

Asked by Labour’s Rosena Allin-Khan about rising numbers of homeless children, Theresa May replied: “Anybody hearing that [question] will assume that what that means is that 2,500 children will be sleeping on our streets. It does not.”

In response, Ms Allin-Khan told The Guardian: “I was appalled to hear her callous answer to the question: she’s effectively telling those children they should be grateful that they’re not sleeping on the streets.”

Matthew Downie, director of policy and external affairs at Crisis, added: “The issue we’ve got at the moment is that it’s just taking such a long time for people who are accepted as homeless to get into proper, stable, decent accommodation.”

In other news, builders in Scotland are sceptical that the government’s affordable homes target will be met and new legislation will make high-speed broadband a legal right for all homes in the UK by 2020.

On social media

There is much reaction to yesterday’s news that the high-value asset levy will not be introduced in 2018/19:

For a government which desperately wants new build mere postponement is self defeating. Councils may be reluctant to build without being sure of their resources, and not knowing whether whether they’ll have to sell new homes to fund the levy @insidehousing t.co/WwqHAJxlFe

— peter walters (@peterwalt7)

For a government which desperately wants new build mere postponement is self defeating. Councils may be reluctant to build without being sure of their resources, and not knowing whether whether they’ll have to sell new homes to fund the levy @insidehousing https://t.co/WwqHAJxlFe

— peter walters (@peterwalt7) December 21, 2017

Not that perceptive but i think i said this would never happen at the time. Something along the lines of eating hats.

— Howard Webb (@HowardWebb55)

Not that perceptive but i think i said this would never happen at the time. Something along the lines of eating hats.

— Howard Webb (@HowardWebb55) December 20, 2017

I feel it’s a scare mongering tactic to make councils more self reliant and ready for the withdrawal of funding in the next few years. @PhilMorganblog what’s your opinion?

— Paul Fuller (@PaulFuller1984)

I feel it’s a scare mongering tactic to make councils more self reliant and ready for the withdrawal of funding in the next few years. @PhilMorganblog what’s your opinion?

— Paul Fuller (@PaulFuller1984) December 20, 2017