There was much to talk about in Rishi Sunak’s conference closing speech. In around an hour on the stage he scrapped HS2, announced a replacement for A-levels, and found the time to ban 14-year-olds from ever buying cigarettes. Yet there was still a huge policy hole in the Prime Minister’s speech – a housing-shaped one.
Outside of the conference hall, you were barely able to move without coming into a conversation about housing. Think tank panels routinely covered it, discussing the rights of renters, the cost of housing and the impact it will have on Tory fortunes. MPs grappled with the tough choices between local Nimbyism and an increasing awareness of the need to build more houses. In one boozy reception, younger Tories and policy workers chanted ‘just get it built’ until the early hours. Yet none of this seemed to reach the PM.
In one boozy reception, younger Tories and policy workers chanted ‘just get it built’ until the early hours
In his 7,500-word speech, there was not a single mention of the housing crisis.
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