Lib Dem Tim Farron booed by audience and mic cut off as tensions erupt in chaotic debate

Tim Farron was booed by audience members at the Lib Dem conference today as tensions erupted during a furious debate over housing.

A major row has been brewing over the party abandoning a pledge to build 380,000 new homes a year in favour of a new social housing commitment.

An amendment pushing for the old target to remain in place was backed by the majority of members in a crunch vote this afternoon in a blow to Sir Ed Davey.

In a heated speech during the debate at the party’s annual conference in Bournemouth, Mr Farron hit out at those seeking to retain national housing targets.

The Lib Dem MP and former party leader told the conference hall: “It is a vague and vacuous target, and we have had vague targets for years. They are not radical, they are not liberal, they are not new, they are not effective.

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“Thatcher had them, Blair had them, Cameron had them. They achieve naff all, they do not work. Sorry.

“They do work if you’re a property investor, they do work if you’re a second home owner, they do work if you’re comfortable already and on the housing ladder.

“Vague targets let and empower developers to build the houses that they want but never ever the homes that we desperately need, especially that young people actually need.

“The authors of amendment one do not mean it, but it is pure Thatcherism.”

At this point loud booes were heard from some members in the hall.

Mr Farron went on: “A laissez-faire, free market, winner-takes-all bonus for those who see houses as capital investments, holiday hideaways, nice little pension pots but not homes for the millions who need them.

“Amendment one could be, despite the wonderful speeches genuinely made in favour of it, the most right-wing thing we’ve seen at party conference since we sent Liz Truss off to go and work undercover.

“Seriously I have spent my life fighting Thacherism, I never thought I’d have to do it here.”

The Liberal Democrat politician later had his microphone cut off having spoken for the maximum duration allowed.

Lib Dem London mayoral candidate Rob Blackie blasted Mr Farron over his speech.

He said: “Tim Farron, that speech was below you. Tim, you are better than that.”

Leadership had been warned prior to the rowdy debate that a watering down of national top-down housing targets risks losing the youth vote.

Janey Little, chair of the Young Liberals who put forward the amendment, told audience members: “We as young people feel ignored and let down by those at the top of our party. This is not the first time we have had to plead our case.”

Responding to the defeat, Lib Dem housing spokeswoman Helen Morgan said: “We are proud to be a democratic party that allows a proper debate on the major issues facing the country.

“The Liberal Democrats have adopted an extensive policy paper setting out the bold steps needed to fix the broken housing market. including building the affordable and social homes our country so desperately needs.

“We will give local authorities the powers they need to tackle the excesses of big developers, including ending land banking, as well as being able to build more social homes themselves.”