Housing minister Grant Shapps has expressed his hope that house prices will become more affordable in the long term.

"Over the long term it would perhaps be desirable if house prices didn't do too much at all," he told the Today programme.

But he said he was not offering a "Brownesque" pledge to end house price boom and bust.

"I don't think it's within the gift any one single government to do that," he said.

"I think it would be desirable thing to have a stable housing market".

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