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David Cameron has been forced into a string of embarrassing U-turns over his "half-baked" Housing Bill.

Campaigners claimed victory as his flagship vows to launch Starter Homes and extend the Right to Buy took a battering in Parliament.

The Prime Minister wants to force councils to sell their most valuable homes and use the cash to give housing association tenants the Right to Buy.

He also wants to replace affordable housing with Starter Homes costing up to £250,000 - or £450,000 in London.

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But peers in the House of Lords warned the "devastating" schemes would rob councils to feed government and could see social housing "wiped out utterly".

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Tonight ministers offered a long list of compromises to prevent a stand-off between the Commons and the Lords:

Sold-off council homes will now have to be replaced one-for-one - a move which was in the Tory manifesto but not the law.

- a move which was in the Tory manifesto but not the law. Councils will no longer be forced to sell valuable homes if they are in national parks or areas of outstanding natural beauty.

It will be harder for landlords to evict vulnerable people they think have abandoned their homes.

Councils could have more control over which homes they sell after the definition changed from "high value" to "higher value".

The climbdowns come days after the Tories were defeated over plans to let Starter Home buyers trouser £100,000 of taxpayer cash after just five years.

Labour's Shadow Housing Secretary John Healey said: "The government’s extreme housing plans are being exposed as simply not fit for purpose.

(Image: Getty)

"Ministers have lost all credibility with this half-baked Bill.

"It’s welcome they have backtracked on some areas, but they must now urgently come back to Parliament with improvements that safeguard affordable homes for the next generation."

On top of all the compromises, ministers also suffered a major defeat which could derail funding for David Cameron 's Right to Buy pledge.

Peers voted 279-203 for a rule forcing Tory ministers to seek MPs' approval before they seize councils' sell-off cash.

That could stall payments from councils that complain they are losing funds to help the most needy.

(Image: Getty Images)

It came after Labour housing spokesman Lord Beecham warned Parliament was "being asked to sign a blank cheque" that was "not healthy".

Ex-civil service chief Lord Kerslake said the safeguard was "sensible and practical" to avoid chaos further down the line.

"During the passage of this bill there's been a great deal of concern about the things we don't know and cannot see," he said.

"Here and now we have an opportunity to get this question right."

Labour sources said the most important victory was the agreement to replace sold-off council homes one-for-one.

The party's Lord Kennedy had warned the policy would have a "devastating effect on council housing stock".

And ex-civil service chief Lord Kerslake said the "flawed" scheme could see social housing "effectively wiped out utterly" in some areas.

He added the change was about "basic fairness", saying: "Local government is being expected to foot the bill for that's a central government policy to extend the Right to Buy".

The Lib Dems also celebrated after ministers bowed to their pleas to make it harder for landlords to evict vulnerable tenants.

A string of amendments by Lib Dem Baroness Grender will force landlords to contact anyone who has helped people pay their deposit before seizing an "abandoned" home.

The former Shelter press director said it would stop people with mental health issues being thrown onto the street thanks to a mix-up.

Tory minister Baroness Evans said she was "delighted" to agree with the "important change".