Overview
- Sumar’s parliamentary spokesperson Verónica Martínez Barbero said Isabel Rodríguez should “make way” after judging the minister’s response to the rental crisis as inadequate and deriding a new housing information phone line.
- Moncloa defended the ministry’s record through government spokesperson Pilar Alegría, citing an eightfold increase in the housing budget, steps to regulate tourist rentals and the end of golden visas, while faulting regions that have not applied the housing law.
- Social Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy sought to lower the temperature, framing Sumar’s plan as constructive and focused on tools to intervene in the rental market.
- Congress approved a resolution urging obligatory quarterly appearances by Rodríguez to report on price trends, budget execution and enforcement of the housing law, passing after a tie via weighted voting with PP and Vox backing and opposed by PSOE and Sumar.
- The clash over housing policy is now a political test, with ERC’s Gabriel Rufián warning it could jeopardize the government as talks continue over budget allocations and directing EU recovery loans toward social housing.