Housing Hypocrisy

Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Minister, has just bought herself a second home for £800,000. I would not normally see anything wrong with this; I would have one myself, if I could afford it. And if I could muster £800k, I would want something worthwhile for my money. Some newspapers are calling the new purchase her 'third home', as she has a government residence as well, but she may of course forfeit the use of it after the next General Election. The reason it is noteworthy, is that His Majesty’s current government has been making things harder for second homeowners, seeing as there is a housing crisis, and they are perceived as contributing to the problem. Council Tax on such properties, for instance, is going to be doubled.  Furthermore, the Daily Telegraph reveals that she saved herself £40,000 in stamp duty after telling tax authorities that her main home was in Sussex. All above board, no doubt, but if it were a Tory or SNP politician who had skillfully sidestepped paying a large tax bill to the government of which she is deputy leader, the outrage would have been colourful to say the least.

Also this month, Rushanara Ali, the Minister for Homelessness, resigned after she was accused of potentially making people homeless herself as a landlord. She ended her tenants' fixed-term contract in order to sell a property in East London, but then re-listed the house for rent at a higher price within six months. This is something which she and her department were trying outlaw under the Renters' Rights Bill.

The only good piece of news for the government is that these two stories are unlikely to make it any less popular. So whether it is buying up second or third homes while officially discouraging others from doing so, or turfing out tenants to raise the rents when you are working on legislation to prevent this, the strong whiff of hypocrisy hovers over Whitehall.

Hypocrisy is one of the worst vices for both government ministers and church ministers. Sadly, both institutions are well acquainted with it. Pray, therefore, that hypocrisy is expunged. Our land needs good government and faithful churches. For too long, it has had poor government and weak, faithless churches. Whenever a promising ministerial career, whether in church or state, is compromised, the nation itself grows weaker. 

That the hypocrite should not reign, lest the people be ensnared. Job 34:30