Murphy ‘out of touch’ over co-living

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has been labelled “out of touch” for pushing “bonkers” policies after claiming the Government’s co-living housing plans would be similar to living in a “very trendy boutique hotel”.

All the opposition parties lashed out at Mr Murphy after he made the “embarrassing” analogy in a bid to defend the divisive policy.

Asked on Newstalk’s Breakfast Show if co-living units are akin to a prison, after he explained you have “your own private room, en suite... but you also have shared community spaces: a gym, a movie room, a games room potentially, a kitchen, a living room,” he said: “No not at all, it’s more like a very trendy, kind of, boutique hotel-type place.”

After being criticised for the comparison, Mr Murphy said: “I was asked this morning whether co-living spaces were like prisons and based on what I have seen in other cities they are not.

“My analogy wasn’t a good one. But co-living elicits outrage in some because they wrongly assume it’s what we propose as a response to families in crisis. It is not.”

However, despite the backtrack, rival parties described him as “out of touch” for pushing “bonkers” policies.

“They should scrap co-living. If Leo Varadkar and Eoghan Murphy want this bonkers policy so much, they should co-live together,” Fianna Fáil housing spokesperson Darragh O’Brien said.

Sinn Féin counterpart Eoin O Broin agreed, saying Mr Murphy is trying to push “gentrified tenements” to reduce homelessness numbers, a view shared by Labour and Solidarity-PBP.

Earlier this week, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he believes Mr Murphy is doing “a really good job”.