Boris dubbed 'Dame Shirley in a suit' for housing policy

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Ken Livingstone and Labour MPs claimed that Mr Johnson's proposals would restrict the number of people in rented flats and houses and were driven by politics rather than housing need.

The Tory mayoral candidate used a housing debate last night to repeat his pledge to dump the Mayor's target that 50 per cent of the capital's new homes should be "affordable".

Mr Livingstone declared that both Mr Johnson and Conservative councils were opposed to his target because the tenants in low-cost homes "might vote Labour".

Today, the Mayor stepped up his criticism as he made a campaign stop in Barnet to highlight the Toryrun borough's low percentage of newly built affordable homes.

London's Labour MPs also produced a dossier claiming that Mr Johnson's housing manifesto was riddled with errors, poor costings and plans to benefit the better off rather than those in housing need. Regent's Park and Kensington North MP Karen Buck compared Mr Johnson's plans to Dame Shirley's 1980s "gerrymandering" scandal when she tried to give homes to potential Tory voters rather than the homeless of Westminster.

Ms Buck said: "Boris is Dame Shirley Porter in a suit. The only moral thing to do is look at housing need then work backwards. If housing need isn't the driver, then what is? Clearly the driver has to be to satisfy a political constituency rather than housing need."

But Mr Johnson insisted that his plans would aim to help all Londoners, both those in need of rented homes and those on higher incomes who currently fail to qualify for Government help.

He promised to build 50,000 more affordable homes if he became Mayor, of which 30,000 would be for the "social rented sector".