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Housing minister Dominic Raab today faced mounting pressure as the UK statistics watchdog demanded he publish evidence for a controversial claim blaming surging house prices on immigrants.

The UK Statistics Authority is calling for the model he used to claim property prices spiralled by 20 per cent over 25 years because of immigration to be made available to the public.

Ed Humpherson, head of the watchdog’s Office for Statistics Regulation, said: “Where analysis is quoted in public debate, the UK Statistics Authority believes it is essential that it be made equally available to all.

“We have been speaking to officials at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government about the minister’s statements on migration and housing.”

Mr Humpherson is preparing to write to officials at MHCLG today to request the analysis is released publicly.

Mr Raab has come under fire amid reports the claim relied on analysis from a quango which shut down eight years ago. Independent fact-checking organisation Full Fact said it had been unable to find any evidence in the public domain to support his comments, published in the Sunday Times.

It also says the data that is available does not conclusively prove a link between immigration and house prices.

Full Fact director Will Moy said: “It’s inappropriate for ministers to use figures that aren’t in the public domain, and figures like these should be published in full so that anyone can check where they’re from and how they’re calculated.”

The UK Statistics Authority’s rare intervention comes as Yvette Cooper MP, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, also called on Mr Raab to show her committee the evidence.

She said: “Ministers need to ensure that the debate on immigration is based on facts and evidence. Otherwise it undermines trust in the whole system.”

Mr Raab made his claim based on National Housing and Planning Advice Unit analysis, which incorporated Office for National Statistics data on property prices between 1991 and 2016.

He said his concerns about the link between immigration and housing will be passed to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which is to publish a report to help the Government formulate new immigration plans.

An MHCLG spokesman said: “This government delivered 217,000 new homes last year, a record number.

“We will continue to build on that success by increasing supply and helping people onto the property ladder.

“Immigration brings clear benefits and pressures, and a balanced approach must factor in both.”

Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Vince Cable, has also written to the UK Statistics Authority asking it to force the Government into releasing the data.

A Government source said there are ongoing discussions between MHCLG and the UK Statistics Authority over publishing the data.

The department is intending to release it to the public and is finalising details.