….showing contempt for the “little people”.

The caretaker government gets off to a cracking start, – obviously no lessons learned.

Well what do you expect when Boris is still PM? – Owl

Persimmon, one of Britain’s biggest housebuilders, said shortages of materials and labour contributed to a 10% drop in the number of homes built in the first half of the year.

Julia Kollewe www.theguardian.com 

The company completed 6,652 homes in the first six months of 2022, down from 7,406 a year earlier. It blamed further delays in the planning system, as well as material and labour shortages. Customer inquiry levels were healthy and cancellation rates low, Persimmon said.

Prices for key materials such as timber and steel have rocketed since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. Bricks and blocks have been in short supply, along with windows and boilers at times, according to Dean Finch, the Persimmon chief executive, while labour shortages – for example plasterers – have had a bigger effect, forcing the company to pay workers more.

Soaring raw material prices, shipping and energy costs, coupled with higher wages, have hit builders across the sector, in particular smaller firms. More than 3,400 smaller construction businesses, many of which are family-run, went into administration in the year to April, the highest number since the financial crisis, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Persimmon shares fell 5.5% on Thursday morning, making it the second biggest faller on the FTSE 100.

Total revenues in the first half fell 8% to £1.7bn, while forward sales were slightly higher than this time last year at £1.87bn.

The housebuilder, which has sought to rebuild its reputation after a damaging scandal over poorly built homes and a public backlash against its former boss Jeff Fairburn’s £75m bonus, expects to complete 14,500 to 15,000 homes in 2022, compared with 14,551 last year.

The firm said first-half profits would be slightly higher than expected because house price inflation has offset rises in build costs. Its average selling price increased by 4% year on year to £245,600 in the first half, reflecting strong demand and a reduction in the proportion of homes sold to its housing association partners.

The UK housing market has defied expectations of a slowdown so far, with prices rising at the fastest annual rate in 18 years last month, according to Halifax, one of the country’s biggest mortgage lenders. Experts are expecting the market to cool in coming months, however, as the cost of living squeeze and higher interest rates affect people’s ability to buy.

Finch said: “Delays in the planning system, disruption in material supply chains and challenges in securing labour have impacted completions in the period. We anticipate, however, profit at the half year to be modestly above our expectations reflecting strong demand and positive pricing conditions. Our forward sales position is robust.”

UK housebuilding declined in June for the first time in two years, an industry survey showed this week. The housing market has been surprisingly strong throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, fuelled by the government’s temporary stamp duty cut and people’s desire to move to larger homes and greener surroundings amid a rise in home working.

From a correspondent (including the suggested editorial comment):

“Of all the guilty men and women in the dismal reign of Boris Johnson, the British right-wing press bears heavy responsibility for what the country has become. From the self-lacerating Brexit referendum to the elevation of a man they knew to be unfit, they set the pace, at the behest of extreme Brexiteer press barons – Murdoch–Rothermere–Barclay foghorns still dominate the political landscape. In this sleazy Johnson era, so often the Guardian [and East Devon’s Owl – ed.] has been foremost among those puncturing this mendacity.”

Q: Who gets the final choice of next Prime Minister?

A: The approx 200,000 paid up members of the Conservative party. 

These are a mere 0.29% of the whole population or 1.43% of the 13.94 million who are estimated to have voted Conservative in the high waters of 2019.

The full extent of the notorious Wallpapergate scandal seen by some as heralding the start of Boris Johnson’s downfall has been laid bare.

Will the next Conservative choice of Prime Minister live with the decor or will the long suffering taxpayer have to fork out for yet another refurbishment? (Some of the likely candidates are rich enough to pay for a refurbishment on this scale out of small change) – Owl

Estimate for PM’s renovation plan included £7k rug and £3,675 trolley

Simon Walters www.independent.co.uk 

The Independent has obtained a leaked copy of the estimate for the renovation of the prime minister’s Downing Street flat which totals more than £200,000.

Items suggested for Mr Johnson and wife Carrie by upmarket interior designer Lulu Lytle include a £3,675 drinks trolley said to be like the one owned in Paris by ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev and £2,260 worth of the “gold” wallpaper that Mr Johnson privately complained his wife had purchased.

Two sofas were priced at more than £15,000; £3,000 was considered for a “paint effect” for the flat hallway; and the cheapest item is a £500 kitchen table cloth.

The estimate for building works, which involved sanding the floorboards, painting and decorating, and installing new furnishings and fittings came to £30,000.

The leak from the Cabinet Office will reopen the long-running controversy over the Johnsons’ luxury refurbishment of their flat over at 11 Downing Street.

The £208,104 estimate was sent to the Cabinet Office in early 2020, which has a £30,000 annual budget to renovate the PM’s official Downing St flat, in the early stages of the work.

In fact, the rest of the cost was secretly funded by Lord Brownlow and the Conservative Party until the scandal was uncovered and Mr Johnson was told to pay it from his own funds.

The leaked bill shows that the Johnsons ordered a £3,675 “Nureyev Trolley” said to be “inspired by a French 1940s drinks trolley owned by ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev”.

The leaked estimate in full:

(The Independent)

(The Independent)

(The Independent)

The Johnsons were invited to spend £15,120 on two sofas (with another £2,880 for fabric to upholster them); £11,280 on eight dining chairs; £7,000 on a rug; £4,200 on a “double wingback chair”; £3,800 on an antique mirror for the hall and £1,000 for a kitchen TV table.

The leaked estimate from Ms Lytle’s Soane Britain company lists a drawing-room lamp for £6,000 with an extra £2,500 for the lamp shade.

Despite being known as Wallpapergate, in fact, the fabrics would have cost far more than the wall hangings.

On the wallpaper front, the single most expensive item was £2,260 for 10 rolls of “Espalier Square design” for the entrance hall.

According to the Soane Britain website Ms Lytle “imagines this gives the all-encompassing effect of fruit trees to form tunnels and pergolas in a 19th-century kitchen garden”.

Although described as “emerald and stone linen” in colour the “Espalier” wallpaper can appear to be gold in a certain light and is said to have inspired Mr Johnson’s frustrated remark that his wife was “spending thousands on gold wallpaper”.

The estimate for upholstery and curtains came to £21,280, including £3,200 for “32m of sorolla red scrolling fern” for dining room curtains.

It is not known which items the Johnsons ultimately chose for their home.

Mr Johnson was then forced to apologise in January for failing to disclose to his former Whitehall ethics adviser Lord Geidt messages between himself and Lord Brownlow, who contributed more than £50,000 towards the flat makeover.

In his report into the flat refurbishment in May 2021, Lord Geidt said Johnson told him he did not know Lord Brownlow paid the money before media reports earlier that year.

However, a separate inquiry by the Electoral Commission watchdog found out that Mr Johnson had in fact messaged Lord Brownlow over WhatsApp about the revamp in November 2020.

Lord Geidt, who resigned from his post last month, rebuked the prime minister for failing to disclose the texts, but did not change his initial verdict that Mr Johnson did not break the ministerial code.

In 2021 it emerged that the cost of the refurbishment was met by the Cabinet Office and recharged to the Conservative Party. After the scandal was revealed the money was returned to Tory HQ and Mr Johnson agreed to pick up the bill, though it is not clear where he obtained the necessary balance once the Cabinet Office paid its £30,000 share.

A councillor who says he was groped by former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, says he was told by a colleague to hold off talking about it after instruction from Conservative headquarters.

“The wall of silence” – Owl

BBC News www.bbc.co.uk 

Daniel Cook said Mr Pincher, MP for Tamworth in Staffordshire, groped him in 2005 and 2006 which the BBC understands he denies.

But Mr Cook said the instruction led him to speak out about what happened.

The BBC has contacted national and local Conservative parties.

Tamworth Conservative Association and Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) was contacted on Friday afternoon and has yet to respond.

The BBC understands Mr Pincher strongly denies any such conduct relating to Mr Cook.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson then faced questions from his party about what he knew and his handling of the allegations. which led to him apologising for appointing him, admitting he had been made aware of a complaint in 2019.

Mr Pincher is facing a string of claims of inappropriate behaviour stretching back several years, which he has denied.

He has now spoken to BBC West Midlands political editor Elizabeth Glinka, again waiving his right to anonymity.

He said the incidents happened at his home when Mr Pincher, drunk on both occasions, knocked at his door.

Mr Pincher “groped his penis and said have you got any good porn”, Mr Cook said, and on the second occasion he “grabbed my backside and tried to cup my penis again”.

After laughing the first incident off as a “badly timed drunken joke”, the second time, Mr Cook reacted angrily and threw him out of his home and did not take any further action.

“In the morning when I had calmed down I genuinely thought, he’s a lonely, gay man who was seeking some company for want of a better term, trying it on,” he said.

Chris Pincher and Daniel Cook, here pictured in 2010, joined forces on several local issues in Tamworth

“I chose to forget about it. We never ever discussed it. I moved on… I’ve never felt like a victim. I was able to defend myself.”

After allegations emerged about Mr Pincher allegedly groping the two men in the private members club, Mr Cook said local Conservatives in Tamworth were contacted by CCHQ telling them “everybody needs to shut up”.

He told the colleague that informed him of that instruction that he could potentially be defined as one of Mr Pincher’s victims and that it seemed like he was being told “to be quiet”.

“We need to be very careful how we approach this because this is what you’re doing to me now – you’re telling me to be quiet,” Mr Cook said he told his colleague.

“There was a wall of silence from Conservative councillors until I said something… we were told under no uncertain circumstances not to say a word – that’s what finally pushed me to come forward and actually say something.”

More people – mostly women – have been underpaid their state pension than previously thought, latest government figures show.

By Kevin Peachey www.bbc.co.uk

A new estimate suggests 237,000 state pensioners were paid less than their entitlement, with a total of nearly £1.5bn underpaid.

That is 105,000 more people affected than the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) calculated a year ago.

They include widows and divorcees who could have been underpaid for years.

The problem dates back to 1985 and relates to the “old” state pension system. Married women who had a small pension of their own could claim a 60% basic state pension based on their husband’s record of contributions. But an error at the DWP meant they were not automatically given this money.

Along with widows and divorcees, some will eventually receive all their entitlement, although years later than they should have done. Others will only be able to claim for 12 months of missed payments.

When figures were first revealed by the DWP, it was thought that 200,000 female pensioners were collectively owed up to £2.7bn. After more details were collected, the estimated numbers were scaled back to just over 130,000 people affected, at a total of just over £1bn.

Now those estimates have been changed again, with the prospect of more revisions to come.

“DWP has carried out additional reviews of its records to understand the pensioners that may be affected, but the full extent of the underpayments will not be known until every case has been reviewed,” the National Audit Office said.

The situation was described as “a shameful shambles” by the Public Accounts Committee of MPs in January,

Errors repeated

The committee’s report said the errors were the result of outdated systems and heavy manual processing of pensions at the DWP. It also said there was a risk that the errors that led to underpayments in the first place could be repeated in the correction programme, the ninth such exercise since 2018.

Former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb, who is now a partner at consultancy LCP, said the DWP had also admitted to an error in which credits for time at home with children – previously known as home responsibilities protection – may be missing from people’s National Insurance records and therefore affect their state pension.

“Not only is the cost of the underpayment correction exercise set to soar, DWP are now admitting a whole new category of errors,” he said.

“In both cases it is women who will bear the brunt of the errors. We need much greater transparency about all of this rather than leaving it to figures buried in the small print of annual reports. Far too many people have been underpaid for far too long”.

From a Correspondent: 

As one of 600 residents in Axmouth. A village with no shops or facilities I am shocked at the announcement that the 9a bus, operated by Stagecoach is no longer to pass through our village. This has happened very quietly and quickly. We learned about it only yesterday during a meeting of 20 elderly ladies gathered for a social event. We need this bus as many of us do not drive and parking in Lyme Regis is impossible during the summer.

I think there is a timescale involved to alert the public as to the changes they intend to make. There is no notice in the bus shelter and I have not seen anything in the local press.

See proposals to cut bus services (the devil lies in the detailed timetable changes – Owl)

What damage have they done to our country?

They chose a man for Prime Minister who was clearly unfitted for the role; they indulged his disregard for rules; lack of integrity and dishonesty for far too long. He and his cronies have squandered billions without due scrutiny.

Now, at a critical time when our economy under performs that of our competitors and our inflation rate is soaring, our government lies broken.

How can Boris Johnson lead an administration when a quarter of the government walked out (58) on him over the past two days?

By replacing them with more members of the Boris fan club? What will that say? – Owl

‘Unwise and unsustainable’ for Boris Johnson to remain PM, warns Sir John Major

David Hughes www.standard.co.uk 

Former prime minister Sir John Major has said it would be “unwise and may be unsustainable” for Boris Johnson to remain in office while a new Tory leader is elected.

Sir John warned Mr Johnson would continue to have the power of patronage and the ability to make decisions affecting the lives of people across the country despite losing the support of his MPs and ministers.

He warned the new interim Cabinet appointed by Mr Johnson following the wave of resignations this week may not be able to “restrain him”.

In a letter to Tory 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady, Sir John said: “The proposal for the Prime Minister to remain in office – for up to three months – having lost the support of his Cabinet, his Government and his parliamentary party is unwise, and may be unsustainable.

“In such a circumstance the Prime Minister maintains the power of patronage and, of even greater concern, the power to make decisions which will affect the lives of those within all four nations of the United Kingdom and further afield.

“Some will argue that his new Cabinet will restrain him. I merely note that his previous Cabinet did not – or could not – do so.”

Sir John suggested Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab could serve as acting prime minister until a new leader is elected.

Or he said Tory MPs could elect the new leader who would become prime minister, with party members then asked to endorse the decision.

Sir John said: “Neither of these options is ideal, but the interests of the country must be given priority over all else and with so many long-term and critical issues before us, an imaginative response even at the risk of some bruised feelings within the party is most definitely in the national interest.”

Under the expected timetable, Conservative MPs will take part in a series of votes to whittle leadership candidates down to two, with Tory members then deciding the winner.

The process could take months, with a new leader expected to be in place before the party conference in October.

“Johnson was a failure and a disgrace. Now, as he finally falls apart, the Tory party must pick up the pieces and decide what it wants to be: a respectable party of the centre-right, or a deranged populist power fantasy?”  

Text of the statement here.

Rupert Hawksley link.news.inews.co.uk

Well, I think we can all agree that today we learned something important from our Prime Minister: how not to give a resignation speech.

If you are thinking of leaving your job, you now know to avoid phrases like “herd instinct” and “our brilliant and Darwinian system”. It sort of gives the impression that nothing is your fault and everyone else is to blame. Your colleagues might be a touch ticked off. Not at all good for the leaving party.

It was an extraordinary speech, though, wasn’t it? Bitter, crotchety and just a little bit petulant. “I’m immensely proud of the achievements of this government from getting Brexit done to settling our relations with the continent,” Boris Johnson said outside Downing Street. You’d have to say the word “settling” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there.

Not that any of this really matters; the result is the same. The Prime Minister has resigned. So it’s time to reflect on his premiership and Ian Dunt argues that Johnson will be judged extremely harshly by history.

“There will be three strands to the historic appraisal of Johnson: personal immorality, functional inadequacy and constitutional sabotage. On each one of them, history will damn him.

“Johnson was a failure and a disgrace. Now, as he finally falls apart, the Tory party must pick up the pieces and decide what it wants to be: a respectable party of the centre-right, or a deranged populist power fantasy?”  

No apologies, no contrition, it’s all a plot – Owl

Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street www.gov.uk 

Good afternoon everybody,

It is now clearly the will of the parliamentary conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party

and therefore a new Prime Minister

and I have agreed with Sir Graham Brady

the chairman of our backbench MPs

that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now

and the timetable will be announced next week

and I have today appointed a cabinet to serve – as I will – until a new leader is in place

so I want to say to the millions of people who voted for us in 2019 – many of them voting Conservative for the first time

thank you for that incredible mandate

the biggest Conservative majority since 1987

the biggest share of the vote since 1979

and the reason I have fought so hard for the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person

was not just because I wanted to do so

but because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019

and of course I am immensely proud of the achievements of this government

from getting Brexit done and settling our relations with the continent after half a century

reclaiming the power for this country to make its own laws in parliament

getting us all through the pandemic

delivering the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe

the fastest exit from lockdown

and in the last few months leading the west in standing up to Putin’s aggression in Ukraine

and let me say now to the people of Ukraine that I know that we in the UK will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes

and at the same time in this country we have at the same time been pushing forward a vast programme of investment in infrastructure, skills and technology

the biggest for a century

because if I have one insight into human beings

it is that genius and talent and enthusiasm and imagination are evenly distributed throughout the population

but opportunity is not

and that is why we need to keep levelling up

keep unleashing the potential of every part of the United Kingdom

and if we can do that in this country, we will be the most prosperous in Europe

and in the last few days I have tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments

when we are delivering so much

and when we have such a vast mandate and when we are actually only a handful of points behind in the polls

even in mid term after quite a few months of pretty unrelenting sledging

and when the economic scene is so difficult domestically and internationally

and I regret not to have been successful in those arguments

and of course it is painful not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects myself

but as we’ve seen at Westminster, the herd is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves and

and my friends in politics no one is remotely indispensable

And our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times

not just helping families to get through it but changing and improving our systems, cutting burdens on businesses and families

and – yes – cutting taxes

because that is the way to generate the growth and the income we need to pay for great public services

and to that new leader I say, whoever he or she may be, I will give you as much support as I can

and to you the British people I know that there will be many who are relieved

but perhaps quite a few who will be disappointed

and I want you to know how sad I am to give up the best job in the world

but them’s the breaks

I want to thank Carrie and our children, to all the members of my family who have had to put up with so much for so long

I want to thank the peerless British civil service for all the help and support that you have given

our police, our emergency services and of course our NHS who at a critical moment helped to extend my own period in office

as well as our armed services and our agencies that are so admired around the world and

[Political content ommitted]

I want to thank the wonderful staff here at Number Ten and of course at chequers and our fantastic protforce detectives – the one group, by the way, who never leak

and above all I want to thank you the British public for the immense privilege you have given me

and I want you to know that from now until the new Prime Minister is in place, your interests will be served and the government of the country will be carried on

Being Prime Minister is an education in itself

I have travelled to every part of the United Kingdom and in addition to the beauty of our natural world

I have found so many people possessed of such boundless British originality and so willing to tackle old problems in new ways that I know that even if things can sometimes seem dark now, our future together is golden.

Thank you all very much.

“Despite the many warnings about his compulsion to spin the truth as it suited him, the Conservative party bought and then sold to the people his epic lies about leaving the European Union.

“The Conservatives owe the country the sincere apology which his resignation speech show yet again is not in his lexicon.”  Paul Arnott

Adam Manning www.midweekherald.co.uk

MP’s and councillors in East Devon have been giving their reaction to the news of Boris Johnson resigning as Conservative leader – and Prime Minister.

We asked East Devon Conservative MP, Simon Jupp, Cllr Paul Arnott, and Tiverton and Honiton Liberal Democrat MP Richard Foord for their reaction to the development, which came after days of resignations and calls for Boris Johnson to stand down. 

Councillor Paul Arnott, leader of East Devon District Council, said: “Boris Johnson, as natural Conservatives such as ex-Telegraph editor Max Hastings predicted long ago, was destined for this date with history.

“Despite the many warnings about his compulsion to spin the truth as it suited him, the Conservative party bought and then sold to the people his epic lies about leaving the European Union.

“The Conservatives owe the country the sincere apology which his resignation speech show yet again is not in his lexicon. 

“Now – and one has to say, astonishingly – this same Tory membership, including the decaying party in East Devon, will have the ultimate say over who is our next prime minister. This is a desperate state for the UK’s democracy. 

“At EDDC’s Full Council on July 20, my administration will be backing a motion calling the Conservatives to agree to electoral reform.

“It is no longer acceptable for us to be governed by an unwritten constitution which allows a charlatan to cling onto the doorframe at 10 Downing Street as, even now, Johnson plainly intends.

“Finally, I think that the resounding vote against the Conservatives in the election of Lib Dem Richard Foord two weeks ago expressed the heartfelt feeling that good local people do not want to be governed in this pompous, self-serving and deceitful way ever again.

“I hope the local Conservative membership has heard this, but I fear they have not.”

Mr Foord, who was elected to Parliament in the Tiverton and Honiton by-election, sweeping away a 24,000 Conservative majority after the resignation of Neil Parish, said: “It has been shameful to see some Conservative MPs in Devon stand loyally by Boris Johnson through the scandals and lies. It is clear they only acted at the very last minute to save their own skin.

“Local people tell me they will never forgive those Conservative MPs for standing by Boris Johnson for so long.

“Conservative MPs have voted through unfair tax hikes on working families, in favour of water companies being allowed to dump raw sewage into our rivers, and supported the scrapping of the triple-lock on pensions.

“It is Conservative MPs, not just Boris Johnson, who have damaged the reputation of our great country in recent months.

“Britain needs change and real leadership to deal with the cost of living crisis and record NHS waiting times. The Conservative party has proven they are just not up to the job.”

Boris Johnson announced today – July 7 that he will step down as Conservative party leader. with a new Tory leader set to be in place by the party conference in October.

Conservative MP Simon Jupp was asked, but did not respond when this article was published. 

However, on Wednesday, he issued a statement calling on the Prime Minister to stand down.

The prospective new chair of the Environment Agency is refusing to divest his shareholding in a hydrogen and carbon capture company chosen for a major government project.

The Nolan principles again – Owl

Sandra Laville www.theguardian.com 

Alan Lovell stood down as a director of Progressive Energy last month, according to Companies House records, two days after being announced as the preferred candidate for the role running England’s environmental watchdog.

The company leads the North West Hynet project, which has been chosen by ministers to drive decarbonisation in the north-west and north Wales as part of a £1bn push for carbon capture and hydrogen in the UK net zero strategy.

The committee on climate change said in a 2019 progress report that in order to develop hydrogen options, significant volumes of the gas must be produced to low-carbon standards at multiple industrial clusters.

MPs were told this week that Lovell had put his role as chair of a “renewable energy” company into his declaration of interests. They were told he had stepped down and had proposed that his financial interest in the firm could be managed by him recusing himself from decisions relating to the company.

But Sir Robert Goodwill, the chair of the environment food and rural affairs (Efra) committee, asked: “Would it not be more effective or less of a risk to divest?”

Lovell replied: “I don’t feel that I need to do that.”

The accountant and businessman, who has made a name stepping in to rescue failing companies, including a failed attempt to shore up the construction firm Carillion, said he felt MPs should be pleased he had been engaged in investment in important sectors.

“I regard the CCS [carbon capture and storage] and hydrogen sector as an extremely important one. I have been investing in it since 2009,” he said. The company, he added, had been selected as the coordinator of one of the two clusters that the government was backing.

Lovell defended his decision to keep hold of his shares. “For a start this project is going to go ahead. It has good enough backing for the government that it is going to go ahead. I don’t believe there is any issue on that score,” he told MPs.

He said the project would be coming to the Environment Agency (EA) for planning and permitting consents. But he did not see a conflict of interests, telling the committee: “These would be round the edges, I would say, of the value of the company. Further I shall not be on the environment and business committee of the agency, which will consider permitting and planning issues.”

Lovell said he had been reassured by the chief executive of the agency, Sir James Bevan, who was “quite adamant” about him not being involved in any decisions that came to the EA board.

“I take confidence in the fact that he himself is confident about that and I feel it is OK to retain the investment,” Lovell said.

His candidature to succeed Emma Howard Boyd as chair comes at a time when the agency is under attack over its failure to improve water quality in rivers and hold water companies accountable for pollution. There is also concern within the agency over its failure to take tough action against polluters.

Lovell’s selection, the government said, followed a rigorous process conducted in accordance with the ministerial governance code on public appointments. Its announcement last month made no mention of his role at Progressive Energy but cited other companies where he held directorships.

Lovell told MPs on the environmental audit committee and the Efra committee that he was not an “activist” on the environment. His environmental credentials, he said, included the fact that he came from a family of farmers, his interest in renewable energy and his ownership of a wood in Wiltshire.

MPs will produce a report on Friday about the appointment before Lovell’s position is confirmed.

“Some changes have been made. Higher rates of stamp duty on additional properties, closing tax loopholes and plans to let councils double council tax on vacant second homes. It’s a good start, but more action is needed.” Simon Jupp

(Amazing what a by-election can do to focus minds on local issues – Owl)

Simon Jupp www.sidmouthherald.co.uk

Short-term holiday lets are an important part of the economy of popular tourist destinations.

Many jobs in our communities depend upon visitors enjoying the variety and availability of accommodation options, who in turn spend money locally year after year.

Homeowners benefit from the flexibility offered by short-term lets, too. Listing a spare room or property takes only a matter of minutes.

It is an increasingly irresistible attraction. 

A recent survey of landlords by Capital Economics found 10% of UK landlords were ‘very likely’ or ‘fairly likely’ to offer short-term lets in the future in properties that are currently used for long-term tenancies.

But it is time to get a grip on what is going on. That survey data reveals up to 470,000 more properties could be unavailable for residents looking to rent.

My fellow Conservative Devon MPs and I met the PM earlier this week to discuss this growing problem. Homes to buy and for long-term rent are out of reach for many people who grew up in Devon, work locally, or need the support of family to look after a loved one.

Some changes have been made. Higher rates of stamp duty on additional properties, closing tax loopholes and plans to let councils double council tax on vacant second homes. It’s a good start, but more action is needed.

I welcome a new review into short-term tourist accommodation which will explore the impact and options for communities like ours.

Measures being considered include a registration kitemark scheme with spot checks for compliance with rules such as gas safety, and physical checks of premises to ensure regulations in areas including health and safety, noise, and anti-social behaviour are obeyed.

Short-term holiday lets bring visitors to the places we love. 

Landlords and second-home owners who see property as an investment opportunity also make it harder for local people to have a home of their own. 

We clearly need a better balance for communities in East Devon and the South West.

 In a statement he said:

It is good news for the country that Boris Johnson has resigned as Prime Minister.

But it should have happened long ago.

He was always unfit for office.

He has been responsible for lies, scandal and fraud on an industrial scale.

And all those who have been complicit should be utterly ashamed.

The Tory Party have inflicted chaos upon the country during the worst cost of living crisis in decades.

And they cannot now pretend they are the ones to sort it out …

We don’t need to change the Tory at the top – we need a proper change of government.

We need a fresh start for Britain.

There are various suggestions:

That Johnson stays until a new PM is selected in autumn (so we could be treated to more buffoonery).

What looks like the emerging line:

Though the Daily Mail considers Theresa May as ideally placed to lead an interim government.

When the men in grey suits fail….

…and “only the ever deluded Nadine Dorries still believed in the Thousand Year Reich”.  John Crace

Watch video on twitter.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-62072419

..as cabinet resignations continue this morning (currently four of maybe five)…

…and the Conservative Party tears itself apart. – Owl

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