The Right to Buy scheme and why Boris Johnson is facing backlash

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Boris Johnson has been slammed after a "desperate" attempt to revive Margaret Thatcher's Right to Buy (RTB) policy, days before the UK council elections.

A new RTB scheme would aid tenants who rent from private housing associations. Johnson told officials to draw up the plans in the last fortnight to help young people struggling to get on to the property ladder, the Telegraph reported.

But what exactly is the Right to Buy scheme, when was it first introduced, and why is Boris facing backlash?The Right to Buy scheme (RTB) was first brought in under the Housing Act 1980 in one of many reforms pioneered by Margaret Thatcher.Under RTB, those who rented from private housing associations could purchase their social homes at a discounted price.Boris is not the first prime minister to suggest this, as RTB was first revived in David Cameron's 2015 Conservative manifesto.

Though that plan failed to materialise, Mr Johnson committed to consider new pilots for the scheme ahead of the 2019 general election.