1. Grateful for your source for 1 (quality of owned homes versus rented)
2. When landlords leave the market the properties don’t - they are still there for someone to live in so not sure how this causes a housing shortage. More houses on the market is likely in fact to make them more affordable.

A common myth perpetuated by landlords. I lived abroad for 30+ years in Belgium - much higher quality of rental properties even with stronger regulation (eg annual rent increases limited to inflation) and better tenant protection. Much lower rent as well and much more availability of accommodation.

Personally I agree that we need much stronger regulation but I don’t think the lack of such regulation absolves individual landlords from the responsibility of being decent human beings. Renting substandard properties out for a profit is immoral. Along the lines of loan sharks and pimps imho.

21% or a million substandard homes is a scandal. Those landlords should be fined and forced to meet minimum standards.
Your article btw seems to refer to *one* rental property where the tenant made a mess. Unacceptable of course but not realty comparable, surely?

As things stand, apologists for future corrupt presidents will be able to point to the fact that Donald trump was never successfully impeached for his numerous obvious misdemeanors s why should their guy/gal.
If DT’s not impeached, it sets a very low standards bar for any future president.

I sometimes wonder if there are powerful vested interests in the US who are silently horrified to see how trump is destroying their business models and who just might use their muscle at some point to help steer America back on course. Either that or they’re waiting for him to die.

This confirms his real gripe - that the EU cannot be bought or bullied and is annoying his boss Vladimir by supporting Ukraine. A more public coalition of dictators might be no bad thing - US voters will no longer be able to pretend Trump that is a democrat for example.

Absolutely. Have you noticed how normal decent people tend to prioritize other people’s human rights while nasty fascist bigots only care about *their* rights (normally to violate other people’s rights). They’re also very selective and don’t care about other human rights - just FoS. Morons.

Exactly right and the UK must play its full part in that.

I guess the problem is that moderate governments in Europe are faced with a fascist-sponsored hysteria about asylum seekers and feel they have to choose between 2 evils: tightening asylum criteria or allowing the fascists to win elections and destroy all our rights. Pretty? No. Necessary? Maybe?

It’s Farage’s boss! Hope Nige remembers to send him a Christmas card !

Its a question of numbers thought - I think we can be fairly sure that for each case where the tenant is at fault there are many, many more in the UK where the landlord is renting out substandard housing.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Quite impressed though that Starmer didn’t even reply. I’m guessing that Farage is still miffed that Doris Johnson didn’t put him in the HoL or knight him for his Brexit “victory” in 2016. Maybe we could soon find space for in the tower of London instead?

Tempted to say that every cloud has a silver lining but that would be inappropriate….

Time for the tories and reform to merge to stop confusing voters