A majority of Theresa May’s Cabinet want the Prime Minister to relax green belt restrictions to help tackle the housing crisis, The Telegraph has been told.

Senior ministers believe Mrs May’s current policies will fail to build the homes Britain needs, insisting she must consider more radical measures such as liberalising planning laws.

One claimed that a majority of the Cabinet now support a relaxation of rules governing the green belt, “if done carefully”.

Addressing historic concerns about the groundswell of Conservative opposition to such a move, the cabinet minister said that, as a result of the housing crisis, “the mood has changed”.

The disclosure is likely to cause alarm in Downing Street, which sees the issue as toxic among many traditional Tory voters.

The Prime Minister is a long-time opponent of the development of green belt land, having campaigned on the issue as MP for Maidenhead.

It comes as a new poll shows that local residents are significantly more likely to support the construction of new homes in their areas than oppose them. Those aged between 25 and 34 are particularly likely to support new homes being built locally. The poll, by ComRes for the Centre for Policy Studies think tank (CPS), found significant opposition to loosening green belt restrictions.