It would be an exaggeration to say that in politics conventional wisdom is always wrong – but equally it’s not a bad rule of thumb. The prime mid-wittery of the moment concerns housing policy. We’re told that we’ve been building far too few houses. The way to help frustrated young adults escape the repressive confines of their childhood homes is, according to various newspaper columnists, to expand the general housing stock rapidly.
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner’s mission to build 1.5 million new homes, riding roughshod over local objectors – the hated ‘Nimbys’ – is routinely praised as bold and overdue. One Tory former housing secretary told Fraser Nelson: ‘I can’t admit it, but I love it. She is doing what we should have done years ago.’
Labour wants to demonise Nimbys, who are to be depicted as ruthlessly selfish crushers of youthful dreams
For Keir Starmer, the policy is the way to make homeownership affordable.
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