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New Statesman
26 minutes ago
- New Statesman
The landlord stranglehold
Illustration by Pablo Blasberg / Ikon Images Lofty views have long moved thoughtful souls to reflect on their property portfolios. The great Alexander hiked up the Eurasian Steppe in order to cry, because there was no land left to conquer. Mufasa the lion led Simba up Pride Rock to celebrate the fact that 'everything the light touches is ours'. I believe stout Cortez did something of the like too. Probably none of those famous perches reached a vantage so high as London's 224-metre 'Cheese Grater' skyscraper. But the unpropertied folk who gathered there on Tuesday 22 July had less vaunted reflections. Alexander wept because he owned all of his view. The attendees here wept because they owned none of theirs. Everything the light touched was a landlord's. The event was titled 'Shit! I'm in my 30s and not on the property ladder WTF?!' Before the talk, I spoke to a 28-year-old civil servant from the north-west who wanted a child and a garden with his girlfriend. But, he said, 'I genuinely cannot work out a calculation that puts me in a job where I can afford to.' Without family dying and leaving inheritances, there was no way anyone could afford anything. 'People are facing a worse time than ever when it comes to buying… It's such a depressing state to be in.' He had heard Japan was encouraging pro-immigration sentiment so young immigrants could fund the ageing population. But as more housing would damage the value of the existing stock, he had little hope of new building. 'I hate to be prophet of doom but it's what goes around inside my head. And I absolutely know that it's what goes around the heads of people my age all around the country.' Hosting the panel were columnist and housing campaigner Vicky Spratt and mortgage expert Andrew Montlake. The sofa had a hero for the crowd: a thirty-something professional living in a flatshare, wondering how she might ever buy a home. And the house villain: a slickly besuited man who had stopped 'messing around' trying to become a musician at 27, and was now an estate agent. But despite the potential Punch-and-Judy casting, the points made were tender. As Spratt put it, British people 'want a piece of the world that is theirs'. In lots of places, owning your house is not part of the culture. It's quite normal to rent all your life in several northern European countries. But the fact is that, in Britain, ownership is entrenched. Putting wealth in inert assets is not productive; but it has been profitable for generations, and it is now habit. In a recent Times column, Matthew Syed explained that his generation bought homes with their money 'because we naturally wanted to own our homes but also because we knew our wealth would surge'. They were right. He points out that in the last 30 years, London house prices are up 2,100 per cent. But that climb took prices far beyond wages, and so far above what the next generation could afford. It's such a glaring injustice that even Nigel Farage has made it part of his schtick, at times sounding like Jeremy Corbyn. (Ander perhaps Generation Rent is listening: Farage has more TikTok followers than all other MPs together.) He puts it succinctly. 'Getting a house, getting a good job. All they want is what their mum and dad have had! Or what their gran and grandad have had.' A difficulty in changing Britain is that the have-nots are so exposed to the haves. And that makes them angry. The young professional on stage fumed that the people who had answered no to her Instagram poll on whether people deserved to own homes were those whose parents had helped them buy one. Repeatedly summoned was the figure of the owner-landlord, who gets their tenant to work off their mortgage, or pay for their holidays. As the essayist Oliver Eagleton has put it, 'domestically, rentierism is the major structural problem for the British economy'. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe It is a problem for the British heart too. The government has recognised this and plans soon to implement the Renters' Rights Bill. And the panel expected that any future governments would continue the popular course. The near-term upshot of a more hostile letting environment is a transfer of stock as landlords sell to private, live-in buyers. What that means, the panel explained, is that if you can, you should buy as soon as possible. The supply flow will suppress prices but squeeze rents. (And Spratt noted that rent never seems to come back down again after inflationary pressures abate.) There will be between three and five years of this. Then, the supply dried up and the rent raised, property value will start to climb again. There is a right side and a wrong side to be on when that happens. Our only really radical solution available is to build much more housing. Oli Dugmore called for 5 million new homes in these pages. But Labour's flagship planning reforms recently made concessions to Chris Hinchliff's environmental regulations. And at the Cheese Grater, there was simply little hope that the young could ever prevail. For most owners, the house is the most valuable asset. They don't want it cheapened, and they have the power. [Further reading: Landlordism is killing culture] Related
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Marcus Rashford gets into the action on Barcelona debut as he comes on at half time – but gets subbed after 33 minutes
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MARCUS Rashford gets into the action on his Barcelona debut yesterday — after coming out at half-time for just 33 minutes. The Three Lions striker, on a season-long loan from Man Utd, became the first Englishman to play for the Spanish giants since Gary Lineker between 1986 and 1989. 3 Marcus Rashford takes a shot at goal on his Barcelona debut 3 The Three Lions striker is on a season-long loan from Man Utd Credit: Getty 3 He is the first Englishman to play for the Spanish giants since Gary Lineker Credit: Getty Legend Lineker said: 'I expect Marcus will do well.' Rashford, 27, helped Barca to a 3-1 victory in a friendly in Japan against local team Vissel Kobe. We recently revealed how Rashford has has rekindled his relationship with former fiancée Lucia Loi. She was with him when he signed for FC Barcelona. The Three Lions ace, 27, and childhood sweetheart Lucia, 26, were together during a photoshoot before he was unveiled as the Catalan giants' latest signing at the Camp Nou stadium. She took his photo, then moved behind him to take another and seemingly checked his shirt before the Man United exile posed beside a traditional red British phone box. Rashford was later seen emerging from the kiosk in a post on FC Barcelona's social media, captioned: 'Hello? Barca? For sure, I'm coming.' The Sun understands that Rashford has asked calming influence Lucia, who works in PR, to help him settle in to life in Spain so he can focus on his football. But they were not seen together until they were unwittingly snapped preparing for his phone box stunt. A source said the pair have stayed close, despite their 2022 engagement fizzling out, and have grown close again of late.
Metro
9 hours ago
- Metro
Vanessa Kirby confirms huge Fantastic Four secret everyone is talking about
Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Vanessa Kirby has confirmed the truth behind that Fantastic Four mid-credits sequence. The British actress, 37, plays Sue Storm—or the Invisible Woman, to those in the know—in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Sue makes up one quarter of Marvel's First Family, appearing alongside husband Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), hotheaded brother Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and human rock face The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as the titular Fantastic Four. With the Fantastic Four's Marvel Cinematic Universe debut out now, audiences have been flocking in droves to witness their arrival. The team may have their hands full battling cosmic world-eater Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), but there'll be an even bigger villain on fans' minds once the end credits finish rolling. With the cat out of the bag, Kirby has clarified what Doctor Doom's cameo at the end of the film means… and confirmed that star Robert Downey Jr. is already very much back. In the first of two post-credits sequences, Sue is shocked to find a menacing hooded figure looming over her young son, Franklin. Fans will already know this to be the Fantastic Four's longtime nemesis, Doctor Doom, who will be played by Robert Downey Jr. in the upcoming sequel, Avengers: Doomsday. Although the villain's face is obscured, Kirby has revealed that it was indeed Downey Jr. behind that hood. 'Yeah! Robert's never not been on set,' she told Variety when asked whetherRDJ was present for the shoot. She continued: 'He's always there. He is our leader. We call him our Godfather. He's looked after us. This sequence was filmed by the Russo Brothers as part of their work on Avengers: Doomsday and shot while Kirby was pregnant in real life. 'It's such a joy working with the Russos and him, because they've had such deep collaboration for so long,' she revealed. 'And it's been amazing being pregnant and working on Avengers. I felt so inspired and so relieved that I've been so taken care of. It's been a really beautiful journey. Robert is just doing incredible work. I'm so excited.' It was announced last year that Downey Jr. would be returning to the long-running franchise, six years after being killed off in Avengers: Endgame. This came as Earth's mightiest heroes faced off against purple menace Thanos (Josh Brolin) for the fate of the universe. This spelt the end of Downey Jr.'s career-defining stint as Tony Stark—aka Iron Man—sacrificing himself at the end of the film to secure the future of reality as we know it. A few years later, it was confirmed that he would be returning, albeit in an entirely different role. The actor's appointment to the post was unveiled at last year's Comic-Con, when a cloaked Downey Jr. removed his mask to reveal that he would be playing Doom, real name Victor von Doom. This character was previously played by late Nip/Tuck actor Julian McMahon in the 2005 and 2007 films and by Toby Kebbell in the 2015 reboot. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Doom's brief appearance at the end of First Steps gives little away as to what he has planned, although we do know it involves Sue and Reed's infant son. He will spearhead a massive cast in Avengers: Doomsday, which is currently set for release on December 26, 2026. More Trending Names already announced include Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright and Paul Rudd, as well as X-Men actors Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn and James Marsden. Of his return to the MCU, Downey Jr. joked: 'New mask, same task. 'What did I tell you? I like playing complicated characters.' The Fantastic Four: First Steps is out in UK cinemas now. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Pedro Pascal responds to misconceptions and his answer is so on-brand MORE: Benedict Cumberbatch blasts 'grossly wasteful' film industry MORE: Meet the 'hidden' Russo sibling leading her Marvel director brothers' studio
