Rogue landlords who refuse to improve the quality of the homes they rent out will see their properties seized, the Prime Minister has announced.

Dodgy landlords will be given a warning about the state of their property and, if they refuse to act, the local authority will be able to confiscate the home.

Mr Burnham told delegates and activists in Liverpool: “Go to almost any town across Britain, and you will see plenty of empty homes.

“We will give councils the power to take control of them and bring them back into the public housing stock.

“You will see rented homes in a poor state of repair too, on so many British streets, homes which harm the health of the people inside and drag down the streets around them.

“The worst of it – often owned by absent landlords who are paid through the benefit system but refuse to reinvest anything in the upkeep of the property. It is time to call an end to this.

“Landlords who rent out the worst quality homes will be given warnings to improve them. If they refuse, we will make it much easier for councils to acquire those homes – and we will legislate if necessary.

“We don’t let people sell food which damages health, so why allow it with homes? From now on, we won’t.”

In his conference speech, his first since he became Prime Minister, Mr Burnham laid out his plan for the country’s housing, energy, water, care service and electoral reform.

He announced that he would tweak the triple lock on pensions to help pay for a landmark National Care Service.

Pensions will rise either by CPI inflation, or a minimum of 2.5% which would generate “significant savings” and remove the link to average earnings from April 2030, he said.

The Labour Party will also fight the next election on a promise to introduce a form of proportional representation, the Prime Minister said as he announced a national commission on electoral reform.