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| Brown unveiling policy programme | Brown unveiling policy programme |
| (9 minutes later) | |
| Gordon Brown has set out his policy plans for the next year - including a move to let councils give local people more priority on housing waiting lists. | |
| The programme, seen by some as an early election manifesto, also includes plans to cut benefits of the young unemployed who refuse a job or training offer. | |
| And there would also be changes to allow more council homes to be built. | And there would also be changes to allow more council homes to be built. |
| Tory leader David Cameron called it a "relaunch without a spending tag" and accused ministers of "dishonesty". | Tory leader David Cameron called it a "relaunch without a spending tag" and accused ministers of "dishonesty". |
| His comments came after Lord Mandelson said a scheduled review of spending would not be held before an election. | His comments came after Lord Mandelson said a scheduled review of spending would not be held before an election. |
| New homes | |
| The policy document unveiled by Mr Brown in the House of Commons is called "Building Britain's future" although many proposals relate to England only as a result of devolution in areas such as health and education. | The policy document unveiled by Mr Brown in the House of Commons is called "Building Britain's future" although many proposals relate to England only as a result of devolution in areas such as health and education. |
| Among pledges he told MPs there was an "urgent need" for new social housing and affordable homes in all parts of the country and pledged, in the next two years, investment in housing would be trebled to £2.1bn. | |
| The money would pay for an extra 110,000 affordable homes to rent or buy over the next two years and create 45,000 jobs in construction, Mr Brown said. | |
| Cameron accuses Brown of dishonesty | |
| "By building new and additional homes we can also now reform social housing allocation enabling local authorities to give more priority to local people whose names have been on waiting lists for far too long," he said. | |
| He told MPs that, from January, everyone under 25 years old who has been unemployed for a year would get a guaranteed job, work experience or training place - and by "next spring" would have the "obligation to accept that guaranteed offer" or face having their benefits cut. | He told MPs that, from January, everyone under 25 years old who has been unemployed for a year would get a guaranteed job, work experience or training place - and by "next spring" would have the "obligation to accept that guaranteed offer" or face having their benefits cut. |
| Those who refuse a suitable job offer could lose two weeks benefit, four weeks if they turn a job down a second time and 26 weeks for a third failure. | Those who refuse a suitable job offer could lose two weeks benefit, four weeks if they turn a job down a second time and 26 weeks for a third failure. |
| Coal plants | |
| He said the government would spend £1bn to create 100,000 jobs for young people and another 50,000 in areas of high unemployment. | He said the government would spend £1bn to create 100,000 jobs for young people and another 50,000 in areas of high unemployment. |
| An Energy Bill would pledge support for up to four carbon capture and storage demonstration power plants. | An Energy Bill would pledge support for up to four carbon capture and storage demonstration power plants. |
| He also said there would be a £150m "innovation fund" for biotechnology, life sciences, low carbon technologies and advanced technologies - Mr Brown said that would attract £1bn in private money. | He also said there would be a £150m "innovation fund" for biotechnology, life sciences, low carbon technologies and advanced technologies - Mr Brown said that would attract £1bn in private money. |
| And he said the government would legislate in the next session to remove the last hereditary peers from the Lords and to allow peers to be thrown out "where there is reason to do so". | And he said the government would legislate in the next session to remove the last hereditary peers from the Lords and to allow peers to be thrown out "where there is reason to do so". |
| Conservative leader David Cameron said many of the announcements had been rehashed from previous years or from Conservative pledges and said Mr Brown had made no mention of the apparent delay in plans to part-privatise the Royal Mail. | |
| He added: "The prime minister talks about building Britain's future, but isn't it time the British people were asked whether they want him to be part of it?" | |
| He accused Mr Brown of living in a "dream world": "When is someone going to tell him that he's run out of money?" | |
| The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson said the plans essentially amounted to the Labour Party's manifesto for the next general election. | The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson said the plans essentially amounted to the Labour Party's manifesto for the next general election. |