<p><span>The prime minister Boris Johnson has confirmed an extension of the Right to Buy scheme, in a speech covering other housing measures that ministers intend to bring forward.</span></p> <p><span>In a move trailed in the national press, the government will extend Right to Buy - the scheme introduced by former prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s – to housing association tenants. Currently tenants in council homes are eligible to purchase their homes at a discounted price. The PM said the change could benefit up to 2.5 million tenants.</span></p> <p><span>Johnson also committed to building a replacement social home for each one sold. “Social housing will always play an important role in our society,” the government stated.</span></p> <p><span>The PM also used his speech to announce a “benefits to bricks” scheme, allowing people claiming in-work housing benefits to put their benefit payments towards a mortgage rather than the money “going directly to private landlords and housing associations”. </span></p> <p><span>And rule changes will encourage those on Universal Credit to save for a deposit. Under the government’s plans, Lifetime ISA savings will be exempt from the current structure, which sees the claimant’s benefits tapered when their savings exceed £6,000 and stop when savings reach above …