Quotes by David Boffrey

David Cameron has been warned by one of his most trusted cabinet ministers that his welfare policies risk making 40,000 families homeless.

The extraordinary claim, in a letter to the prime minister from the office of Eric Pickles, the communities secretary... lays bare fears of mass homelessness "disproportionately impacting on families". It says:

- 40,000 families will be made homeless by the welfare reforms, putting further strain on services already "seeing increased pressures".

- An estimated £270m saving from the benefits cap will be wiped out by the need to divert resources to help the newly homeless and is likely to "generate a net cost".

- Half of the 56,000 affordable homes the government expects to be constructed by 2015 will not be built because developers will realise they will not be able to recoup even 80% of market rates from tenants.