LEASEHOLDERS SCREWED BY STARMER’S SECOND KING’S SPEECH: STATEMENT FROM FREE LEASEHOLDERS 13/5/26 To save his premiership, on Monday Keir Starmer lambasted the politics of incrementalism, yet the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill announced in today’s King’s Speech is infected with the status quo. This is more talk big, act small politics from the Starmer government. It is an insult to the millions of leaseholders being looted in their homes that a Labour government has walked back its manifesto promise to “end” the feudal leasehold system, instead serving up sham “reform” designed to keep Big Money interests happy. Astonishingly, the only new measure appears to be little more than a right for leaseholders to petition at the feet of their freeholder masters for permission to get an internet connection. It is the modern-day equivalent of telling the peasants to eat cake. The inclusion of this pro-leasehold measure comes just days after the main freeholder lobby group held a cosy conference with a PR firm and government civil servants, seeking to reposition themselves as Net Zero delivery partners to gain control over even more of captive leaseholders’ hard-earned money under the guise of essential block “improvements”. Our supporters are trapped in their homes, unable to sell or remortgage and suffering negative equity, while Hamptons has found that 37% of leasehold flats now have service charges in excess of 1% of the property value, which lenders increasingly refuse to back. Right to Manage, for those lucky enough to perform the legal somersaults required to qualify, already shows that leaseholders can take a chainsaw to wasteful spending, with our supporters achieving average service charge savings of 20–30% by removing extractive freeholders and choosing local contractors. Yet this Bill fails to slash the red tape and introduce a universal Right to Manage, despite the Law Commission’s 2020 blueprint and its inclusion in the Labour manifesto and the first King’s Speech. With this Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, the government is propping up the service charge racket and the property mafia who benefit. Instead of giving leaseholders rightful control of their homes, money, and lives in a cost of living emergency, Starmer and his ministers have sided with vested interests, which is killing the housing market. It would be particularly cruel to bring forward amendments to the 2024 Act while still leaving leaseholders in financial servitude to their freeholders because they cannot afford to buy out their freehold due to uncapped development value. This is despite the Law Commission’s recommendation to restrict development value, and a previous Conservative promise that was ultimately dropped under lobbying pressure before the 2024 legislation was passed. Under Starmer’s Labour, leaseholders are doomed as corporate capture of policymaking continues in the post-Mandelson era.

Kirstie, what’s your interest? Does your developer husband, Ben Andersen, sell leaseholds? Or was your late father, Lord Charles Hindlip, a freeholder? It is super disappointing that someone with your platform keeps trying to muddy the waters on leasehold. It is destroying lives.

This is what you get with @LutfurRahmanTH streets of filth. Residents of @TowerHamletsNow can we really put up with this filth for another 4 years?? @MayorofLondon

Another day in Tower Shithole by @TowerHamletsNow under the leadership of @LutfurRahmanTH. Trafalgar and Blackwall Ways need to be cleaned NOW.

Apologies for the lengthy wait, Nicholas. The airport team will have your bags out as soon as possible. Natalie

Another day in tower shit hole under the leadership of @LutfurRahmanTH under your watch @TowerHamletsNow our streets are filth @MayorofLondon

Another day in the life of Tower shit hole by @TowerHamletsNow under the dreadful leadership of @LutfurRahmanTH . What is this under the DLR between Blackwall and East India ? A giant fly tipping pit?? @MayorofLondon @SteveReedMP @Alison_McGovern

Party party a nitrous oxide party! A weekly occurrence on Blackwall way that @TowerHamletsNow under the leadership of @LutfurRahmanTH does not clean up. Rubbish left and right up and down the street , street bins not emptied.

⁦@LutfurRahmanTH⁩ guess where all this trash from the overflowing bin will be in the next few days ? All over fhe street and the street team from @TowerHamletsNow won’t pick it up as it is not in their job description.

Another weekend of red bull and nitrous oxide pizza party in @TowerHamletsNow under the mismanagement of @LutfurRahmanTH . How long will it take for this mess and in the surrounding streets to be cleaned up ? My guess never @MayorofLondon

Party party party on Blackwall way @TowerHamletsNow @LutfurRahmanTH

Another day in tower shithole by @TowerHamletsNow under the leadership of @LutfurRahmanTH . Street bins not emptied frequently enough anywhere. Now all the litter blow up and down the streets & we all know the street team won’t do anything about it.

Daily occurrance of nitrous oxide canisters on Blackwall way and trash in the bushes not cleaned since the @aspireparty under leadership of @LutfurRahmanTH took control of @towerhamletsnow @MayorofLondon this council shames our city with the filth we have to live in daily

True to form @British_Airways full 777 from singapore and my priority baggage is the last to come out with the last remaining 20 passengers . Not sure why you bother to print the priority tags. Pass that onto management in their continual pursuit of cost cutting

Scammer

Leaseholders voted for an insurgent government of delivery. Not consultation paralysis and blaming the last lot. @UKLabour won’t thanked for allowing leaseholders to be looted for another 4 to 5 years. Great to see @Dan4Barnet and @LukeTaylorLD grasp this!

Another day and same old shit on Blackwall Way under the leadership of @LutfurRahmanTH @TowerHamletsNow Blighting London an embrassment for tourists @MayorofLondon @JimfromOldham

Seems it’s the same across the borough Blackwall way is a shithole years of trash left and right in the bushes and the usual weekend nitrous oxide parties by the usual suspects @LutfurRahmanTH @TowerHamletsNow

Eye spy with my little eye how many nitrous oxide canisters do you see amongst all the other trash on Blackwall Way @LutfurRahmanTH @TowerHamletsNow @MayorofLondon @mhclg @JimfromOldham . Why Lutfur was it a month after your Aspire party took over our streets became filth ?

Just a regular weekend on Blackwall Way. @TowerHamletsNow under the direction of @LutfurRahmanTH our streets are filth . How long will it take you to clean up this mess ? Whilst you are at it clean the entire street left and right 2 years of trash ! @MayorofLondon @JimfromOldham