The average monthly UK rent is nearly double that in Europe, at £750 compared with £400, analysis by the Housing Federation showed.

Private renters in the UK spend 40% of their income on their rent, against an average of 28% in Europe. Tenancies are also a lot shorter in the UK.

Separately, the National Audit Office has issued a report criticising the government over public land sales, saying it could not find a reason for the government’s target of making enough land available to build 100,000 homes by this year, nor could it find figures on the value of the land sold nor how many houses were built.