As the Conservative Party was about to start its annual conference in Manchester, Prime Minister David Cameron revealed on the BBC's Andrew Marr show plans to revive the flagging Right to Buy policy.
Recent figures show that Right to Buy sales have dropped sharply in recent years.
Proposals to be announced in detail later in the year include increasing the discounts to council housing tenants who wish to buy their homes and using the proceeds from the sales to be re-invested in new affordable homes.
The Prime Minister said that there are still more than two million homes that could be bought through the Right to Buy. He went on to say that 100,000 more affordable homes could be delivered by introducing 'proper discounts' and ensuring every home bought under the Right to Buy is replaced. This could also create 200,000 jobs, he added.
He did not give details of the level of discount, which is likely to be revealed in a policy paper on housing due to be published this autumn.
In an interview with Inside Housing, Housing Minister Grant Shapps said there would be no net loss of housing as a result of the Right to Buy proposals. He also stressed that Housing Benefit would take the strain to ensure the 100,000 homes built as a result of the policy change and let at affordable - or near market - rather than social rents would be accessible to everyone.
The Government has also announced a policy of giving developers access to public land through a 'build now, pay later' model, which is also expected to deliver 100,000 affordable homes, and create 200,000 jobs.