London mayoral candidate Boris Johnson has spoken out against Ken Livingstone's affordable housing targets, but as usual it was the MP's terms of debate that have caused a real stir.

In a speech to the National House-Building Council, Boris suggested that he would relax the mayor's target of making half of all new homes built in London 'affordable' and focus on restoring aesthetic qualities to the city's housing stock, saying that gardens and front doors were what Londoners really desired from their homes.

But Boris's comments about single woman driving up demand have been attacked by fellow mayoral candidate Brian Paddick, who said that references to Bridget Jones were "offensive".

"The majority of women in London are smart, independent and focused; nothing like the chaotic chain-smoking spinster that his Bridget Jones label suggests," said Mr Paddick.

The mayor has also hit back, saying that his targets were a vital part of ensuring that as many Londoners as possible could own their own properties.


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