Eric Pickles delivered his statement on housebuilding with the adoring gaze of new planning minister Nick Boles fixed on him throughout. Boles was leaning forward eagerly, drinking in every word the Communities Secretary had to say about today’s announcement. Sitting next to him on the front bench, Don Foster, who also joined the department this week as an impressively-like-for-like replacement of Andrew Stunell, barely looked up at all from his Blackberry.
MPs raised a little cheer when Pickles responded to questions from Labour about the future of the green belt. ‘I can confirm that we will protect the green belt in line with that commitment in the coalition agreement,’ he said. He explained that the government would support councils who chose to use their existing freedoms to swap green belt land around, as the Chancellor did at the weekend.
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