It seems that a Conservative Government can no longer be automatically assumed to understand the market.  

I come to this conclusion on the basis of the suggestion that housebuilders might be penalised for not building their homes as quickly as expected.   Housebuilders are in the business of building and selling homes and are unlikely to drag their feet in doing so if buyers are lining up to buy their wares.   However, factor in some economic uncertainty and its not a surprise to see the demand for new homes reducing.  That is where we now find ourselves.

If the strategy for dealing with the housing shortage is reliant on market sales, instead of state provision, then there are bound to be times when sales will go slower - and no amount of penalties is going to see housebuilders build homes that people are not interested in buying.