— Gaston Browne has pushed back against a proposal by Jamale Pringle to sell Crown land to young people for up to $5 per square foot, arguing that similar land is already being offered for less under an existing government programme.

In a social media post, Browne questioned the opposition leader’s claim, asking: “Can someone tell the moron, Jamale Pringle that my administration sells land as low as $3.00 per square foot and $4-5 on average?”

Pringle, leader of the United Progressive Party, made the proposal during a rally in St Mary’s North on Tuesday, where he outlined plans to allocate roughly 8,000-square-foot plots to Antiguans and Barbudans up to age 35 at no more than $5 per square foot.

He said a UPP administration would audit remaining Crown lands, zone them for residential use and distribute about 2,000 plots over five years. “We will not allow deep pockets to take advantage and buy up acres and acres of Crown land,” Pringle told supporters.

However, questions have been raised about how the proposal differs from the existing Land Empowerment Programme administered through the Central Housing and Planning Authority, where plots averaging about 6,000 square feet are already sold at approximately $3 per square foot.

Housing Minister Maria Browne previously told Parliament that the programme removed its age cap in 2023 to expand access beyond applicants under 35.

Pringle also said a UPP government would end the practice of requiring new homeowners to cover the cost of utility infrastructure such as poles and pipelines installed by the Antigua Public Utilities Authority in developing communities.

In addition, he pledged to extend the legal stay for CARICOM nationals from three months to six months and introduce work permits that are “unrestricted within the industry,” as part of broader immigration reforms ahead of the April 30 general election.