Two British papers are reporting that Gordon Brown – the leading candidate to succeed Tony Blair as leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister of Great Britain in a few months time – will announce plans to build five eco-towns. Consisting of 100,000 houses altogether the five towns will get their power from solar panels and wind-turbines.

The plan is seen as a bid to shore up Labour’s green credentials, while also fighting the shortage of homes on the UK market. It comes at a time when the Conservative opposition has markedly increased its green image; the current Conservative leader, David Cameron, has made green issues an important part of his agenda. Brown however claims that Cameron’s commitment is not matched by Conservative run local authorities, which are reluctant to let any homes be built, whether they’re green or not.

More on this story is available from The Sunday Times and The Observer