As the UK kicks off the Article 50 negotiations, it remains the case that relatively little attention has been paid to the role of the European Parliament, which will accept or reject the agreement between the UK and the EU setting out the arrangements for Brexit. If the European Parliament rejects the agreement, the UK… [Read More]
The Budget was meant to boost the UK’s economic resilience, thereby strengthening the prime minister’s hand in the upcoming Brexit negotiation, and get the UK match-fit for its global role post-Brexit by investing in infrastructure, innovation and skills. The most effective way of achieving these goals would be via a new and fairly comprehensive industrial strategy.… [Read More]
Tony Blair’s intervention in the Brexit debate today will inevitably invoke anger amongst those who campaigned for the UK to leave the European Union. Already Iain Duncan Smith branded his comments as ‘undemocratic’ and ‘arrogant’. But Blair has not asked for the will of the people to be ignored. He has simply said it is… [Read More]
Much pre-briefing in recent days about the government cracking down on developers culminated in a story in The Sun this morning saying that land would be seized if homes weren’t built quickly enough. The story was then tweeted from the official DCLG account, complete with its ‘fat cat developers’ headline, giving the impression that ministers… [Read More]
There have been lots of encouraging noises ahead of tomorrow’s housing white paper. Less focus on home ownership and greater support for renters, including a push for three-year tenancies; help for older people in large family homes who want to ‘right-size’ in later life; measures to tackle slow build-out rates and increase densification. All steps… [Read More]
The UK economy finished strongly in 2016, with the ONS estimating growth of 2.0% in 2016, higher than any other G7 country. Because of the UK’s resilience after the Brexit vote, yesterday the Bank of England increased its forecast for UK economic growth in 2017 from 1.4% to 2.0%. The resilience of the UK economy post-referendum… [Read More]
With the housing white paper imminent, it’s squeaky bum time for the major developers who have been on notice for a while now that the communities secretary, Sajid Javid, is unimpressed with the rate at which they build out planning permissions. Last November he told the building industry: ‘I cannot look the other way when I… [Read More]
Finally, Brexit means Brexit. After months of criticism about her approach to Brexit, the Prime Minister made clear to the country the path she is planning to take in her approach to Brexit. The vote for change will mean the UK will no longer be a member of the single market and will no longer… [Read More]
In November the High Court decided that the Government had no power to give notice to leave the EU under Article 50. Leaving the EU would entail changes in the law that embodied the rights of citizens and such changes could not be brought about by the prerogative power but only by primary legislation in… [Read More]
This feels like a bit of a moment for London housing. Last week the chancellor, Philip Hammond, announced a bumper settlement for affordable homes in the capital – £3.15bn to support the construction of 90,000 new units between now and 2021. That’s getting on for 20,000 a year (albeit starts rather than completions), which is… [Read More]