Brexit - as it happened: Theresa May accused of presiding over '20 wasted months', as PM vows to unite nation

Theresa May is now up. She says people are struggling to rent.

She says people - particularly younger people - are angry at the price of housing and rent. May says it was raised on the doorstep during the general election camapign. "They are right to be angry," she says.

May says: "In much of the country, housing is so unaffordable that millions of ppl who would reasonably expect to buy their own home are unable to do so...The root cause of the crisis is simple. For decades this country has failed to build enough of the right homes in the right places"

She says the Government is also taking action to help hard pressed buyers, such as scrapping stamp duty for first time buyers - announced at the autumn budget last year. 

May says, simply, we need to build more homes in Britain. 

"It is not just about having a roof over your head but having a stake in your community and its future. All that is put at risk by the mismatch between housing supply and housing demand and the soaring prices that have resulted"

May says she expects developers to do "their duty" to build more houses in Britain.

On the green belt, she adds: "The answer to our housing crisis does not lie in tearing up the Green Belt. Barely 13 per cent of this country is covered by such a designation, but it serves a valuable and very specific purpose"

She says green belts are there to prevent urban sprawls... adds that she wants to make better use of brown field sites. 

May also says the concerns of Grenfell Tower residents are too similar. Renters should not be treated as lesser people, and subjected to poor treatment. 

She says the tragic death of rough sleepers highlight the plight of those who rough sleep... nobody should be sleeping rough in one of the world's largest economies. 

She admits homelessness is a source of "national shame" 

"The British dream is about each generation being better off than the last, but today’s young people are forced to spend three times more of their income on housing than was the case for their grandparents," May says.

May is asked a question on Brexit by the BBC, to which she responds: "Being the BBC you always have to get a Brexit question in."

This is the section from Theresa May's speech on homelessness: 

Tackling homelessness

Just as Grenfell highlighted failings in parts of the housing sector, so the tragic deaths of rough sleepers have reminded us of the plight of those forced to live on the streets.

And let me take this opportunity to thank the thousands of council staff, charity workers, volunteers and members of the emergency services who have done so much to help rough sleepers during the recent cold weather.

In 2018, in one of the world’s largest, strongest economies, nobody should be without a roof over their head. This isn’t just a British problem – in recent years homelessness has risen across Europe – but it is source of national shame nonetheless.

That’s why we pledged in our manifesto to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminate it altogether by 2027. We’ve already committed £1 billion to help bring this about, and are piloting the Housing First approach in three of our great cities to see how it can work in this country.

We’re also implementing the Homelessness Reduction Act, to help more people sooner.  We’ve changed the rules around funding so local government can use £400 million to help prevent homelessness, instead of just responding to it. And we’ve changed the law so councils can place families into private rented accommodation – meaning they get a safe, secure suitable place sooner.

But it’s not just about housing. Homeless people often have complex needs, so we’re taking unprecedented action across the board to help address them.

Here in London, 47 per cent of rough sleepers have mental health needs. That’s why we’re spending record levels on mental health support.

Forty four per cent need help to overcome alcoholism, so we’re spending around £200 million on treatment for alcoholism every year.

And 35 per cent need help for drug misuse, which is why our new Drug Strategy will protect the most vulnerable and help them turn their lives around.

There’s undoubtedly more to do. But we’re taking action that will make a real difference. 

Because this is a Government that isn’t afraid to uncover and face up to challenges. And that’s exactly what we’re doing with homelessness, and with the wider housing crisis.