Analysis By Nick Assinder Political correspondent, BBC News website

Tony Blair had education, education, education, Gordon Brown has gone for housing, housing, housing.

The housing crisis tops Gordon Brown's agenda

On Wednesday, in the first ever "pre-Queen's Speech speech" - similar to his pre-Budget reports as chancellor - the prime minister will indicate the legislation he intends to introduce in the next session of Parliament.

Housing is top of the list and both he and housing minister Yvette Cooper briefed a full Cabinet meeting of the core issues on Tuesday morning.

The minister told colleagues she would be setting out the measures the government needed to take to make housing opportunities more widely available, especially to first time buyers.

Further details will be spelt out over the next few days in the Commons, with statements from both her and Mr Brown and, in line with the prime minister's new approach, will not be leaked beforehand.

Trouble ahead

But Ms Cooper's boss, communities secretary Hazel Blears, gave some broad hints during her debut appearance before the communities and local government committee of MPs.

Mr Brown briefed cabinet on his proposals

This was only an introductory, "get to know you" session, but it gave some insights into precisely how the government may start to meet that pledge.

And Ms Blears made a couple of pronouncements that indicate trouble ahead.

She said building the homes would have to take priority over environmental concerns, and she refused to rule out building on the green belt.

On environmental concerns she seemed to be suggesting, not that the environmental impact of new house building would be ignored, but that the emphasis must be on getting the homes built.

In fact she stressed Mr Brown's recent announcement on the creation of "eco towns" would be part of the way forward.

Before he became prime minister, Mr Brown said he wanted to create 100,000 homes in "carbon neutral" communities to be built on old industrial sites.

Detailed package

But later, when pressed by the committee to say whether she would rule out building on the green belt, Ms Blears offered no guarantees.

She was not in a position to offer "categoric assurances" on the green belt, she said, adding: "I'm very well aware of the different stresses and strains there will be in the system and part of our job is how do we get the balance right."

Ms Blears gave some hints of what is in store

That will spark fears that the rush to build affordable houses may see incursions into the green belt.

The Tories reacted swiftly, claiming Ms Blears had revealed Gordon Brown's plans to "systematically concrete over the green belt".

The minister hit back, with a spokesman insisting: "We are not proposing changes to the robust protections to green belt land."

But this looks like the first shots in what may well build into a full-scale row.

Meanwhile, Ms Blears placed the emphasis on creating "social housing" through partnerships between councils - who, she insisted, were eager to go down that route - and the private sector.

And, she flatly ruled out any large scale new council house building programme.

HAVE YOUR SAY It all sounds marvellous but let's wait and see what happens when it is all put into practice Christine Cobbold, Rainham Send us your comments

What the government did want to do was release more public sector land for house building, undertake more developments like the Thames Gateway regeneration scheme and make changes to the planning system to make building easier.

These may only have been glimpses of what Mr Brown has in mind and it is clear he and Ms Cooper will be unveiling a more detailed package for debate over the next few days.

But it is pretty certain that, while no one doubts that tackling the glaring housing crisis is becoming one of the new political imperatives, it is not going to be an easy or straightforward ride.