Ground Force

"We will act where the Conservatives have failed and finally bring the feudal leasehold system to an end," said the Labour manifesto. On 27 January, the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook, told the House of Commons that the Government would, "end the leasehold system in its entirety and in a single Parliament." Yet Pennycook has assured some Epstein Class junktank or other that such abolition was "almost certainly impossible".

At best, ground rents are going to be frozen, or capped at £250 per annum. The Government says that in 40 years' time, £250 will be worth nothing, anyway. If anything, that is far too long a timetable. What can you buy for £250 now? But the principle still stands. Ground rent is money for nothing. Get rid of it. As you promised.

Anything less would be less than the Conservatives had been in the process of doing before the General Election was called early. Against everyone who was making trouble now, Rishi Sunak and Michael Gove had been set to cap ground rents at £250, but only as the initial measure of the process of phasing them out to peppercorn. The Conservative manifesto promised to follow through with that. The MPs elected on that manifesto should table it as an amendment. By voting to save the ground rent racket, Labour would expose itself as truly the party of people who wanted money for nothing.