Greens Vote To Make 'Abolish Landlords' Party Policy
2 min read
The Green Party has voted to make party policy a motion that seeks to "abolish landlords".
The motion titled 'Abolish Landlords' was supported by a large majority of members at the party's conference in Bournemouth on Sunday.
The motion has now become party policy, though leader Zack Polanski is not obliged to adopt the specific wording.
On Friday, PoliticsHome reported that the policy motion was being put forward, which sets out five steps the Greens would take to outlaw landlords.
Starting with rent controls and abolishing Right to Buy, a future Green Party-led government would also tax landlords via business rates on Airbnbs and double taxation on empty properties.
Under the proposals, the party would also end Buy to Let mortgages and give councils the Right to Buy when landlords sell properties, when the property doesn’t meet insulation standards, or when a property has been vacant for more than six months.
Carla Denyer, Green MP for Bristol Central, sought to stress that despite the motions "eye-catching" title, "it does not actually 'abolish' landlords".
“It does, however, address the housing crisis, empowers tenants and improves their wellbeing. It contains a range of policies which, over time, would reduce the proportion of the housing market that is privately rented, and increase the proportion of socially rented homes.
“The policies, many of which were contained in our 2024 manifesto, include the introduction of rent controls and giving councils powers to buy properties when landlords sell," she said.
Denyer added: “The motion also calls for the mass building of council homes, which was another manifesto commitment, and adds a proposal for a state-owned housing manufacturer to support these efforts and innovate on housing design and manufacture."
Green member Alexander Sallons, the lead proposer of the motion, told PoliticsHome on Friday it would be “controversial in the party” as “many members are still uncomfortable with the bold and decisive tone”.
The party's conference is the first since London Assembly member Polanski was elected leader last month, defeating MPs Ellie Chowns and Adrian Ramsay.
Polanski has described himself as an "eco-populist", and he is expected to put forward left-wing positions to appeal to former Labour voters who are frustrated by the Keir Starmer government.
Speaking to PoliticsHome in Bournemouth, Polanski claimed that British politics was "moving into" a contest between his party and Nigel Farage's Reform UK.
He added that he was “very open to a conversation” with “progressive, particularly left-wing” Labour MPs about defecting to the Greens.
