VINCE CABLE was yesterday expected to drop plans to hand control of land ownership in England and Wales to privateers.

The government had planned to sell off the Land Registry, a Civil Service department that decides issues of land ownership.

But it provoked fierce opposition, including a two-day strike by 3,000 Land Registry workers at 14 offices across England and Wales.

A PCS union spokesman said a U-turn “would be a victory for the thousands of Land Registry staff who campaigned with industry professionals against the plans and very welcome news for millions of people who rely on it to provide a reliable, impartial and hugely important public service.

“Serious questions must be asked of senior officials and ministers who tried to push through what would have been a very damaging and totally unnecessary sell-off.”