Despite the size and severity of Britain’s housing crisis, and its impact on the population, successive governments have failed to deliver effective solutions.

In this paper, we explore the nature and distribution of property interests within Parliament, including their value, scale and geographical distribution. What we have found is a concentration of assets, investments and employment that is far in excess of what can be seen in the wider population. As with our previous research, we have identified a higher density of these interests amongst those within the current party of government in Westminster.

Holding property interests does not equate to wrongdoing, and we make no allegation that a particular parliamentarian has abused their position in public office to further their private interests. But we do shine a light on how there is an almost systemic conflict of interest in Parliament, whereby the private affairs of many legislators, ministers and their political parties are heavily intertwined with this issue of national importance. We question whether cumulatively this has
some bearing on the political appetite to take the measures needed to end the UK’s housing crisis.