Boris Johnson to let low-earners use housing benefit to buy homes

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Confirming the plan on Thursday, levelling up secretary Michael Gove told Sky News: “One of the things we’re looking at is a way people can save explicitly for home ownership … We are looking specifically at a saving vehicle in order that people can save for that deposit.” But the cabinet minister suggested that benefit recipients in London and the south-east may still struggle to get on the property ladder. I don’t think we’ll be offering 70 per cent discounts for our housing association right to buy … We’re not proposing to offer discounts at that scale.” Mr Gove promised that the government would commit to replace social homes sold off “like for like” – but Labour and housing charities have pointed to the huge cost of building new homes sold off at a discount. Gove also claimed on ITV’s Good Morning Britain that social housing would be produced “instantly” to replace homes bought by low-earners. For those families that will be very welcome, but if it makes the housing crisis worse for everybody else, I’m not sure why they wouldn’t come forward with a proper plan that actually starts to increase the supply of affordable housing.” Shelter’s chief executive Dame Polly Neate said the “hare-brained idea” was “the opposite of what the country needs”, warning: “There could not be a worse time to sell off what remains of our last truly affordable social homes.” Labour frontbencher Jess Phillips was also among those questioning how the benefits-to-buy policy will work because individuals with more than £16,000 in savings do not qualify for the benefit.