Feijóo Challenges Sánchez on Housing Policy Amid Rising Social Concerns in Spain
Opposition leader Feijóo condemns Sánchez's housing policies, promising tax cuts and reforms to address soaring prices and poverty, while Sánchez defends his government's measures and social protections amid parliamentary tensions.
- • Feijóo criticizes Sánchez for rising housing prices and precarious conditions, pledges major tax cuts for youth housing.
- • Sánchez mocks Feijóo's housing vice presidency plan and warns against repeating past tax cut mistakes that led to housing bubbles.
- • Feijóo highlights high child poverty and middle-class erosion, accusing the government of neglecting working families.
- • Sánchez emphasizes social wins, including reduced social security costs for autonomous workers and plans to extend social shield protections.
Key details
In a series of heated parliamentary sessions in November 2025, opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the Popular Party (PP) sharply criticized Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government for its handling of Spain's housing crisis and broader economic issues. Feijóo accused Sánchez's administration of converting Spain from a country of homeowners to one marked by precarious living conditions, with soaring housing prices forcing many young people into shared rentals and deepening poverty, especially among children, where rates surpass 34%, the second highest in the EU. He highlighted the government's failure to act on legislative proposals like repealing the 2023 Housing Law and ignored tax exemptions previously approved by Congress aimed at helping young people access their first homes.
Feijóo pledged that, if elected president, he would introduce significant tax cuts including lowering the VAT on new homes from 10% to 4% and managing housing policy directly through a new first vice presidency dedicated to the issue. He painted a bleak picture of social decline, criticizing the erosion of the middle class and warning of a dim future for Spain’s youth.
In response, Sánchez mocked Feijóo's ambitions for a housing vice presidency, suggesting it implicitly acknowledges political fragility amid competition from parties like Vox. Sánchez dismissed Feijóo’s proposed tax cuts by recalling past policies that precipitated housing bubbles and financial crashes, and urged PP-run regions to implement price controls and uphold the State Housing Plan until 2030. He lamented that past acceptance of investment funds buying protected housing undermined Spain’s public housing stock, which could otherwise have been among Europe's most robust.
Additionally, Sánchez emphasized ongoing social efforts, noting that over half of Spain's autonomous workers now pay social security contributions 26% lower than in 2018. Finance Minister María Jesús Montero affirmed plans to extend social shield measures to protect vulnerable groups from utility cuts and support pension revaluation by year’s end.
Sánchez also countered accusations from Vox leader Santiago Abascal and emphasized his government's integrity while criticizing PP governance failures, particularly regarding women’s health services in Andalucía. The political discourse remains tense as Feijóo calls for early elections, despite Sánchez’s refusal to concede power ahead of 2027 polls.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.