'...the international evidence does not give credence to MPs’ fears that dropping Section 21 is going to cause an exodus from the private rental sector.'

~Jamie Gollings in ConservativeHome today, on why fears against the Renters Bill are overblown👇
conservativehome.com/2024/04/11/jam…

Yep: smf.co.uk/publications/p…

Reckon that giving rental tenants better protection will scare off landlords and make the rental market worse?

Well that's not what the international evidence says.

Find out more in my piece in Conservative Home today.

conservativehome.com/2024/04/11/jam…

This is the penultimate paper in our Housing policy in the Anglosphere series, kindly funded by Nuffield Foundation. The final paper, out next week, will look at planning reform.

👇Join us as we launch it with Vicky Spratt, Chris Curtis and SMF's Gideon Salutin on 17 April

🚨OUT NOW: UK should learn from Canada and Scandis to support co-operative housing

Canada’s co-op sector is 3x bigger than the UK’s, and co-ops account for 23% of Swedish homes – emulating them could help ease the housing crisis.
smf.co.uk/publications/a…

Every time I encounter it I'm astonished anybody thinks 'global majority' is a good label.

Not just cringily euphemistic, but offensively lumps very different people together and emphasises that you see the key distinction as white vs other

Really important point / graph from
Torsten Bell

The perceived risk of landlord exodus drives the direction of so many housing crisis discussions (often shutting down potential solutions) - yet so often debate is rhetoric and threats rather than a clear evidence base

'weakening rapidly'? I don't think so

A great primer on the debates around health warning labels for alcohol in the The New York Times, focusing on the Irish warning labels that will come into force in 2026 nytimes.com/2024/04/09/hea…

One of my favourite subplots in British Politics is Keir Starmer genuinely being a massive football fan, but sounding like freak every time he talks about it.

This from Angus Deaton is some of the worst causal inference I've ever seen

Great piece by Chris Curtis over on Social Market Foundation's blog promoting the virtues of how a new generation of new towns can help provide the good jobs, affordable housing & decent local services that people across the UK deserve.

In The Times and The Sunday Times this morning looking at Housing Sin Taxes like those on vacant homes, and how they:

1: Generally fail to increase supply
2: Can raise money to invest in social housing and cooperatives

thetimes.co.uk/article/b55696…

🚨 NEXT WEEK!

Join us and Vicky Spratt, Chris Curtis of Opinium & Gideon Salutin on 17 April for the launch of our new report on international lessons on planning reform!

✍️Sign up here: smf.co.uk/events/beyond-…

'Policies like minimum pricing – and other more experimental ones like taxes on unhealthy foods – are likely the best tools we have to address behavioural health risks. They should be on the agenda for those writing party manifestos.' - @Aveek18

Abrdn executive Ptr Brnnr has complained the company is facing 'corporate bullying' because of its ridiculous name ft.com/content/2c9bb0…