Watch out for the renters' backlash

If you were just going off what the media had been reporting, and the questions thrown at Rishi Sunak in PMQs, you’d almost be fooled into thinking everyone in this country was a homeowner. Mortgage rates are the cause of a lot of political heat at the moment, but for the 20% of the UK population that rely on the private rental sector for housing, they are still a distant dream.

There is a common misconception that the rental crisis is a London-specific issue, but it has truly gone UK wide. Average private rents across Britain have sored to record highs, with rental prices up 20% in cities like Manchester and Cardiff, 18% in Edinburgh, and over 16% in London compared to just a year ago. In February of this year, over a third of renters were spending over 50% of their wages on rent – a figure that has likely gone up in the past six months. 

Yet, despite the loud cries from the media about what politicians are going to do to protect homeowners, there is once again a notable silence when it comes to renters. The Tory voting coalition is, after all, built on home ownership, and the rapidly unfolding rental crisis is seen as a young person’s issue, with 46% of under-35s in England renting from private landlords. 

What seems to be missing in the extensive coverage we have seen of rapidly increasing mortgage rates, is how this is going to have a huge and detrimental impact on renters. If rental prices are already up a staggering 20% across the country before the full impacts of mortgage rate rises kick in, you can only dread to think what the next rental increase is going to be. You can bet that landlords will be turning to hard-pressed renters to cover their increasing mortgage and then some, just in case.

With young people in this country feeling that they have, once again, been passed over in favour of pensioners, it is no wonder that the Tories are heading for extinction with voters under the age of 50. They might be missing a trick though; keeping the youth on side has been shown to bring valuable electoral benefits in this week’s US midterm elections. Biden’s student debt forgiveness and other ambitious program aimed at helping young people appear to have paid dividends for the Democrats, with a ‘youthquake’ of under-30 voters delivering key wins for the party.

According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, human beings’ have five physiological levels of needs to be satisfied. Right at the top of the list is shelter. If the Tories are failing to address the rental crisis for 20% of the electorate, it’s unlikely they’ll be voting Conservative any time soon.

Xi tightens his grip on China

With all that is going on in British politics right now you would be forgiven for completely missing the otherwise headline worthy political events occuring in China. Xi Jinping, the nation’s President (read: authoritarian kingpin) has consolidated his place as the most powerful leader since Mao Zedong as he announced his unprecedented third term. This powerplay has been in the works for years as in 2018 he engineered a constitutional reform which eliminated term limits when it came to the presidency. His five year plan has certainly come to fruition. 

The significance of this move should not be underestimated as he charts his path to become an even more emboldened leader – the effects of which will be felt domestically and internationally. For one, the decisions made in Beijing will have ripple effects influencing the global economy, the foreign policy of the West in an attempt to hedge against the superpower, the development of technology, supply chain stability and potentially even the difference between war or peace. 

Just last year, in the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, China’s international assertiveness was classified to be “the most significant geopolitical factor of the 2020s” posing an “increasing risk to UK interests”. This should come as no surprise given the concerns over Chinese influence in the UK, from China General Nuclear (CGN) being bought out of its 10% stake in Sizewell C over security concerns, to the government blocking a number of takeovers of British tech and defence companies by Chinese firms. 

Of particular concern to democracies across the world however, is China’s ambitions for Taiwan. It is no secret that China under Xi Jinping has become increasingly bold in its ambitions to elevate the ‘One China Policy’, starting with the take over of Hong Kong. It is now obvious that the focus has moved to Taiwan which is a serious cause for alarm. Not least of all due to the potential for another conflict at a time when Europe is grappling with its own war in Ukraine, but also due to the impact this will have on democracy in the region and supply chain freedoms relating to technology, and in particular chip manufacturers and supply. 

This all plays into Xi Jinping and the CCP’s long game and their so-called ‘strategy of displacement’ aimed at usurping the US as global hegemon and disrupting democracy across the world. We cannot ignore what happens when a despot is hellbent on power grabbing – in fact Ukraine is currently experiencing the consequences of such a trajectory. 

When the war in Ukraine broke out it was the perfect opportunity for Xi Jinping to observe the global response to an attack on democracy and consider his options when it came to Taiwan – what is clear now however, through increased military exercises in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, is that an invasion of Taiwan and subsequent military conflict on a global scale is growing more likely by the day. As democracies we need to act proactively, decisively and collectively to counter any such action and safeguard the democratic freedoms which Xi Jinping seeks to destroy.

Out of the cabbage patch: The inside story of Lettuce Liz and her astonishing fall from power

Almost overnight, a new national icon was born. Robust, determined and tough as nails, a humble lettuce – with a little help from the Daily Star – has helped topple a government and been catapulted to stardom. Hollywood producers may already be scrambling to sign the rights to the biopic.

The Star’s quirky stunt has transcended politics, captivating the general public as millions tuned in for livestream updates to see who would wilt first: the Prime Minister or a head of lettuce.

For all the chaos of the last week or two or three, it is easy to forget where this salad themed insult originated. You would be forgiven for thinking The Star was the sole puppet master in this escapade (see yesterday’s self-published ‘How Daily Star’s Liz vs lettuce livestream went global and made Truss wet laughing stock’ piece) but the veg links actually came from higher brow sources.

A devastating Economist lede on October 11th first drew the now immortal link between Truss’ seven days of authority and the rough ‘shelf-life of a lettuce’. The ‘Iceberg Lady’ image surged through social media generating sniggers and despair alike.

Sporting a reputation for intellectual, nonsensational, independent reporting, The Economist’s intervention here proved critical. When tabloids are pinching ideas from financial magazines and uniting the press in declaring a leader’s incompetence, the writing tends to be on the wall. Add in a humorous physical representation of Truss’s already terminal woes and the game was up.

The world’s media soon followed suit from the New York Times to Spain’s El Diario, offering their own spin on this most British battles of endurance. The last word went to the former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev (of course) who tweeted, “Bye, bye Liz Truss, congrats to lettuce”.

So, is there life after Liz for the lettuce? The Press Gazette nabbed the exclusive first interview with the successful salad’s spokesperson, Daily Star editor-in-chief Jon Clark. Clark explained that our leafy hero “is currently weighing up her options and is thinking of going into politics full time”. He also addressed some global reporting inaccuracies that branded his paper left-wing, explaining they are ‘not anti-Tory or anti-Labour’ but ‘anti-idiot.’

Our question is does the lettuce now become an accepted unit of measurement for the length of Prime Ministerial premierships? Maybe this is the UK’s version of the American ‘Scaramucci’ aka ten days in office.

But lettuce not forget our fallen leader. A converted ‘Romainer’ who seduced the right of the party but managed to alienate everyone else. Truss will be consigned to history as the UK’s shortest-serving prime minister alongside the lasting image of a triumphant lettuce – the Neil Kinnock lightbulb head of the 21st century.

Or perhaps lettuce Liz is breathing a quiet sigh of relief today as her pork market past can finally be put to bed.