Labour’s leadership challenger, Owen Smith, is full of new ideas, but when asked about the housing crisis he reached for an old one. He wanted to see a “property-owning democracy”, he told journalists at his campaign launch in Orgreave.
The idea of the property-owning democracy has deep roots. Indeed, it is tied up with British constitutional thought. The right to vote was traditionally linked to property ownership. The extension of the franchise in the 19th century was focused on groups who owned land or long term leases (ironically the reforms disenfranchised the few female property owners who had previously had a right to vote).
Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month
Content from our partners
