Ha ha, serves them right.

From Open Democracy:

The Government’s rush to implement Individual Electoral Registration (IER) – against expert advice to phase-in the policy over a longer period – has knocked more than 800,000 people off the electoral register over the last year. The House of Commons Library warns: “Local authorities with high concentration of students appear to have been more affected by IER as their registers decreased more significantly than the average.”

Fewer young, poor and left orientated voters on the electoral register is likely to help the Conservatives in local and national elections on May 5, as well as skewing the soon-to-be redrawn boundaries of parliamentary constituencies to their advantage.

In the context of the European referendum though, that is a substantial number of likely Remain votes lost. The changes to electoral registration also puts Remain at a geographic disadvantage. Five of the ten top Europhile locations in Britain are London boroughs, according to YouGov.

But London has lost the highest number of voters, with 394,000 falling of the register since the 2012 Mayoral election. In Hackney alone, which was the eighth most pro-EU place in of Britain, there has been a 6 per cent slump in voter registration. A double victory for Conservative Mayoral candidate and Brexiteer, Zac Goldsmith, but more bad news for Remain.

H/t MBK.

This is what we are up against...

Spotted by Ben W at thebureauinvestigates:

On February 5 Tory and Labour MPs complained in the Commons that London’s housing market was “being turned into a Klondike for wealthy foreigners” with “less than 10% of available properties for sale … affordable to a [family] on average wages” and tenants forced to pay “extortionate rents”.

A few hours later the then housing minister sat down to dine with one of central London’s largest residential landlords and two other men whose companies operate in the top end of the London property market.

According to a seating plan for the Tory annual winter fundraiser, which has been analysed by the Bureau, they were amongst 50 attendees with links to the property industry, representing almost 10% of the total guests listed on the seating plan.

Two wealthy property tycoons and one of London’s biggest hereditary landowners are listed on the same table as David and Samantha Cameron…

In the past two years property companies donating for the first time have contributed more than £800,000 to Tory coffers. In addition some long-term supporters from the property sector have increased their donations.

Leading Tory does "one-sided economics"

From City AM:

THE GOVERNMENT has announced plans to force letting agents to publish the fees they charge tenants, both on their websites and prominently in their branches.

In a policy designed to take the wind out of Labour’s proposal to ban the fees charged to tenants, Nick Clegg revealed that the measures would help renters to shop around and get the best deal when moving home.

"Short-term gimmicks like trying to ban any fee to tenants means higher rents by the back door," housing minister Kris Hopkins said yesterday.

"Excessive state regulation and waging war on the private rented sector would also destroy investment in new housing, push up prices and make it far harder for people to find a flat or house to rent," Hopkins added.

Typical.

If these restrictions mean that the landlord pays the fees, but recoups them via slightly higher rents, then it will make no difference to anything.

If we had proper rent controls, i.e. waged a proper "war on the private rented sector", as the UK did for most of the 20th century (which included undercutting them with social housing), then he looks at the one side (fewer landlords buying and renting houses privately) but completely ignores the other half of the equation:

- The amount of housing coming onto the market being bought by former tenants who would rather be owner-occupiers, which is probably most of them would increase to match the fall in demand from BTl 'investors'.

- With less competition from BTL 'investors', house selling prices would fall.

It's up to you decide whether the benefits of lower houses for you to buy outright outweigh the fact that there will be less accommodation to rent.