David Davis has set the Conservatives on collision course with the government over the right to buy housing policy.

Unveiling the latest of his party's new policy ideas, Davis told delegates that a Conservative government would widen the right to buy to one million housing association tenants.

John Prescott, the deputy prime minister, last week told Labour's conference that the policy of allowing council tenants to buy in some areas is set to be axed.

Davis told journalists that the government had been carrying out a "softening-up exercise" to discredit the policy.

"The right to buy scheme is a popular Conservative initiative that has helped nearly two million tenants of council properties to enjoy the benefits of home ownership," he said.

"Labour slamming the door on the programme would come as a crushing blow to many Britons who dream of owning their own home."

Davis also attacked the government's record on transport and the environment.

He vented anger at the government's plans for regional assemblies - which he claimed would serve only Labour cronies and create more bureaucracy.

"It's not just about money or interference. It's about unpicking the very threads of our communities. It's about riding over local people," he said.

"It's about tearing up a county history hundreds of years old. It's wrong. We oppose it and we will fight it every inch of the way."