For Conservative leadership candidates who make it through the latest cull and into the weekend, a glistening prize is on offer: television debates. And given the relative narrowness of the debate thus far, centred mostly on tax cuts, it is a vital opportunity to scrutinise each leadership hopeful on a broader range of policies, from the cost of living and defence policy to housing and childcare.
Considering the small size of the selectorate that will pick the new prime minister, these debates may be the closest the wider public will come to dissecting the policies of our next leader. Set piece moments such as these can make or break a campaign. In recent times, Nick Clegg and Jeremy Corbyn have used them to shake up a race, while David Cameron’s speech without notes in 2005 is credited with helping to crown him leader.
So, can Liz Truss unite the Right of the party? Is Penny Mordaunt’s momentum a flash in the pan or can it carry her all the way to Number 10? Can Rishi Sunak build on his early lead? The debates may not be decisive, but they will go a long way to answering these questions and more.
Renters’ nightmare
It’s not your imagination or just your landlord. London rents are skyrocketing. Rents are rising at a record 15 per cent a year — the fastest annual growth ever set in any UK region. As we report in today’s paper, the average rent in the capital has hit £2,257 a month. This has been driven by a shortage of available rental stock meeting high tenant demand. Despite some encouraging signs, available rental stock remains down 26 per cent compared to last year’s levels, while demand is up six per cent, with competition between tenants fierce.
Extortionate rents not only mean people have less money to spend on other aspects of life, it damages London and therefore the UK’s economy. People are forced to live further and further out of the city in order to work here, or are simply priced out of a job they might otherwise have taken.
The answer is both straightforward and complex: we need to build more homes, both for rent and sale. In a city like London, there were challenges even before this year but they have been made worse by supply chain disruption and the elevated cost of building materials as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Mayor says he is laying the foundations to end our housing crisis by building more new homes for Londoners than at any time since the Thirties.
But far more needs to be done, and it will require the active participation not only of local authorities and developers but central government as well.
Be proud of Sir Mo
Sir Mo Farah has shown his bravery once again in speaking out about his experience of being trafficked into Britain as a child, escaping war in Somalia.
While the police have rightly said no action would be taken against Sir Mo, who was nine years old when the alleged trafficking occurred, it is now launching an investigation into the revelations. He was already a national hero, but in sharing the story of his childhood with the world, he has only made us prouder of the athlete and person he grew up to be.
