The savings are already there. The law simply forbids their use. One change would do more for first-time buyers than a decade of discount schemes.
Fortune favours the brave. My hope is that the party that reaches out beyond its comfort zone — and the sterile zero-sum game with its Right-of-centre rival — will be rewarded for it.
It is gravely concerning for younger generations. But on present trends, this shift will be equally consequential for older generational cohorts in both the medium and long-term, as well as for the size of the state.
We have a political opportunity to (re)create a new generation of Conservatives who are the proprietors of capital.
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are welcome to copy this policy if they wish. But they won’t because they don’t believe in aspiration. We do.
Denouncing second home ownership for others is not the way to solve the housing shortage.
Planning at times has become politicised to the point of paralysis. NIMBYism dominates, and the loudest voices too often drown out the needs of young families, renters, and first-time buyers.
Governments of this country have, too often and at too great a cost, learnt the penalty of failing to take long-term decisions at the time when the opportunity is most ripe.
We need to face up to the hard truth that every planning rejection in a high-demand area is not just a lost home—it is a lost voter, a lost future, and a fraying thread in the Conservative social contract. This is not about abandoning our principles. It is about applying them.
Unlike Labour-controlled local authorities, Conservatives set out their proposals and action them. As the Party of aspiration, actively promoting low cost home ownership would be a great achievement.
If we are serious about winning the next generation, then we need real reform.
Those young (and youngish) voters who switched to Labour out of a desire to get on the housing ladder were perversely reflecting the most quintessential of Conservative ambitions.
We should use our time to seek reform of central banking if we have any hope of unlocking housing for future generations. This is a big ask, considering central banks tend to take their direction from the Federal Reserve.
Public policy ought to facilitate choice and enable people to live the lives they wish. Beyond that, there are other key reasons why home ownership is important.
Without clear, definitive actions, it will be a missed opportunity to win trust amongst the industry and business leaders. It will also be a missed opportunity to demonstrate the renewal the party has been through.