Millions of working class families will be given the chance to buy their own homes under radical Tory plans to extend Margaret Thatcher 's flagship housing policy . Under proposals being considered by Downing Street , the right-to-buy scheme - currently restricted to families in council owned properties - will be extended to up to 2.5million housing association tenants . David Cameron hopes the 'big door step offer ' will sway enough working class voters to earn him a second term as Prime Minister . Since right-to-buy was set up in 1980 by the Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher , more than two million council houses have been sold . Under a plan being championed by the Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith , housing association tenants will be given the right to buy their homes at a knockdown price . Since right-to-buy was set up in 1980 , more than two million council houses have been sold , but current rules make it difficult for those in housing associations to buy their homes . Housing associations are non-profit making private bodies that provide low-cost social housing . Regulated by the state , they receive public funding . Right-to-buy rules allow most council tenants to buy their homes at a discount , but the rules do not apply to housing associations . They only qualify for limited discounts and can only buy a property that has been acquired by an association since 1997 . Discounts vary between areas , but range from £9,000 to £16,000 . Council house tenants , by contrast , can get discounts of up to £77,000 across England and £102,700 in London . David Cameron hopes a 'big door step offer ' on housing will sway enough working class voters to earn him a second term as Prime Minister . Under the new plans , housing associations will be able to use the funds from the sale of the houses to build more homes , the Sunday Times has reported . Taxpayers ' money will be used to fund the discounts , which are expected to be 30 % off the market value of the home . A more radical plan advanced by Duncan Smith , to simply give away housing association properties to those who have worked for a year , has been ditched . Number 10 believe it would cost votes among those who have worked for much longer to save for their own home . A senior Downing Street source said : 'You are safe to say that broadening right-to-buy is on the cards . ' But the source added : 'Giving away homes is off the table . If your message is that you want to reward people who work hard and get on , it would n't be seen as fair to give homes to people in social housing while others have been saving for years to buy their own place . '
Right-to-buy could be extended to up to 2.5m housing association tenants . Tories hope the 'big door step offer ' will sway enough working class voters . Scheme considered by the Sunday Times to win over 'soft ' Labour supporters .