Boris Johnson reportedly wants to give 2.5 million homeowners in England the right to buy their homes at a huge discount, in the wake of Margaret Thatcher’s popular “buy right” policy in the 1980s, which saw a huge percentage of the nation. stock of municipal housing sold. But Labor called the plan “desperate,” saying it was repeating a policy from David Cameron’s 2015 Conservative manifesto that failed to sell. And the CEO of the homeless charity Shelter said the “hare idea” was “the opposite of what the country needs”. “There could not be a worse time to sell what is left of our last truly economical social housing,” said Polly Neate. “The cost of living crisis means that more people are on the brink of homelessness than property – almost 34,000 households in England were left homeless between October and December last year, more than 8,000 of them were families with children.” Ms Neate said the original purchase right had torn “a huge hole” in England’s social housing stock, with less than 5 per cent of homes sold ever being replaced by new affordable homes for rent. “These microscopic designs have been tried in the past and have failed,” he said. “Over a million households are stuck on social housing waiting lists in England, and with every bill skyrocketing, the government will have to build more social housing so we have more, not less.” Details of the plan were released a few days before the local elections, in which the Tories are believed to be heading down – and during the “purdah” period when government departments are banned from making policy announcements that could affect the vote. An unnamed government source said Mr Johnson wanted to find ways to help the “rent generation” of under-40s valued by the housing market to become homeowners. Conservatives have long seen property as a key lever to vote for the Tories, and party generals are worried about the prospect of a middle-aged generation with no share of the housing market. “The prime minister is very excited about this,” the source told the Daily Telegraph. “It simply came to our notice then. “In many ways it’s a direct copy of Maggie’s big idea: ‘Buy your own council apartment.’ It’s ‘buy your own apartment.’ But shadowy secretary Lisa Nadi said: “It’s a desperate thing for a tired government, which has been repackaging a plan since 2015. “Millions of families in the private sector with low savings rent and faced with high costs and rising bills, need much more ambitious plans to help them buy their own home. “These proposals will exacerbate the lack of affordable housing.” And thinktank Demos CEO Paul Mackenzie said the proposals would put some of the younger voter groups whose support the Tories should attract. The right to buy offers huge financial benefits to those who qualify for social housing, while providing nothing for those – often young professionals – who pay much higher rents on less secure private rentals, he said. “Half of the tenants are in the social sector and half in the private sector,” Mackenzie said. “I can not understand the politics – let alone justice – of helping a team with a subsidy of up to .000 100,000, while offering the others only informal ISA purchase assistance and equity loans that need to be repaid. Those who did it on their own and never had to return to state housing have the worst deal. “Extending the right to buy is a great way to disappoint the new tenants, a group that the Conservatives really need to stop disappointing.” Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman Christine Zardin said: “Instead of copying and pasting old manifestos, Boris Johnson should be helping families on the brink. “Instead of talking about past policies, Boris Johnson should cut taxes now and ensure that every retiree can afford to heat their home.” A government spokesman said: “We want to give everyone the opportunity to own a home and we are considering all options to increase home ownership. “Recent statistics show that the annual number of first-time buyers is at a 2-year high, with the help of the First Aid Buyer Scheme and the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme to extend the availability of low-cost mortgages.”
