There is also the issue of land banks - companies buying up land and sitting on it, until they either decide to develop themselves or, sell it on for a fast buck - something that Labour has promised to deal with.
I realise that it isn't always a black and white issue but, in many cases, this practice can severely slow down development of new property, either residential or commercial.

I agree but as commercial organisations why would they invest in sites where they cannot develop them and make a return?

It will be a long time before Labour get to deal with this issue?

The investment to make a "return" isn't in question.
However, the validity of buying up land, to hoard it, rather than put it to use, isn't great for anyone - apart from the land owner.

Property is a long term investment so hoarding land fits perfectly with a long term investment strategy.

Apart from if you are a bank. In which case, you are too big to fail.

Completely agree - as a businessman banks inhibit business innovation - I have no truck with them at all

I work for a developer, if we own it and have planning permission we build on it. Sitting on a multi million pound investment is a crazy idea as the longer you wait to get the ROI, the smaller that will be.

Without wanting to seem like one of the women who thought Johnson might change, here's my slim hope...

Cameron's massive sense of entitlement seemed integral to his being, whereas Johnson has had to consciously adopt it - his arrogance to some degree reflects his insecurities. Now he has won what he always wanted, maybe that will fill the yawning hole in his soul and he can become a real boy...? Jeez, this is desperate. If not, there might be some vicarious pleasure to be had from his upcoming revenge on Michael Gove.

It'll be interesting to see where, if anywhere, he goes with his One Nation Conservative theme. Maybe just an attempt at a reassuring soundbite, after having sacked so many One Nation Conservatives. However, it'd be nice if Raab, Patel and Rees-Mogg got to spend more time with their families. Not for their families, obviously, just the rest of us.

After a competition for the role of Prime Minister between two Party leaders seemingly massively ill-suited to it, at least Labour can change theirs - though there's every chance they'll mess it up. And the Tories get to own their Brexit, whether it proves disastrous or merely hugely underwhelming for those pinning their hopes on it.

This is a once in a generation opportunity to set a centre-right agenda that encourages business but uses those benefits to ensure a better social infrastructure. A very soft Brexit wont cut it and the EU now realise they can't just push the UK around as they would have been able to do with Labour or a hung Parliament. Noises coming out of the EU suggest the penny has dropped.

The North can no longer be seen as a poor relative to the South - failure to address this will cause Boris significant pain in the future. It shouldn't take 1 hur to do a 30 mile journey between two of the biggest cities in the North

You're still clinging to the idea that "the EU" is some sort of amorphous blob. They are 27 individual member states who have given the negotiators instructions and red lines. But we've been through all this and you still think having red lines is bullying.

But I'm pleased you seem to be buying into some sort of socialist infrastructure spending for the north of England.

If Brexit was such a huge issue then a soft Labour-style Brexit will not go down well - there has to be a tangible differences between where we are now and where we end up.

The idea the EU have morphed in May and will be so rigid that we have to comply with whatever they want doesn't ring true no matter what you hope for. The last thing they want is a buoyant large economy showing that there is life outside of the EU

We all hope that you are right.
However, can you remember Mrs May saying "we're all in this together", which translated into, "we're doing ok and it's tough on the rest of you".
Although the times were slightly different, she too was pretending that the Tories had suddenly started caring about others which, fundamentally they just dont.
The ethos is to look after yourself, first, second and third and ok, if some crumbs fall off the table, the "poor" may still be able to eat.
However, I would suggest that, despite his welcoming rhetoric, Johnson doesn't have a clue what "everyday" life is like for many of those who have just put him in Downing Street.
I will say that Corbyn too, hadn't got a clue and although we should all welcome some of Labour's social policies, he was offering nothing to the many and looking after just those at the bottom of the pile - not the worst thing in the world but, it would never get him elected - something that, even after one hell of a beating, he just cant grasp.

The Conservative Government does have tremendous power now, and they need a renewed agenda. Johnson ran against the memory of Cameron and May, as well as (though obviously not as much as) the prospect of Corbyn, but that doesn’t mean he won’t quickly be tainted by their legacy if things don’t go well. Also, he’s going to lose one of his biggest electoral assets in Corbyn.

The Brexit exit is done, it’s hardness agreed and just awaiting ratification. ‘Canada’ with a border in the Irish Sea.

Now, it’s ‘just’ the horse-trading of the free-trade deal. Certain industries (e.g. financial services) and interests will be prioritised, and others (e.g. almost anything else, potentially, given Johnson’s mercurial nature), inevitably, will share the fate of the DUP. As Mr Ghost points out, the unity of the EU position will be more under more pressure than during the exit negotiations. Then it was fairly simple to agree to let us choose from the existing range of statuses for non-members. They’ll have their own internal horse-trading to do for this stage, so where they have been frustrated with our slowness to this point, that may flip moving forwards. It’s likely that to keep his promise to end the transition period at the end of 2020, Johnson have to accept WTO terms, or accept a rushed deal with more concessions. Or go back on his promise - can you imagine?!

This is such a huge thing now - the consequences of the Johnson deal on Northern Ireland could be massive if an alternative isn't worked out through the transition period (and no reasonable proposition that involves leaving the CU/SM has yet been suggested).

A no deal exit presented the prospect of a hard border across the English Channel which was unthinkable madness. Erecting a softer border, but a border nonetheless, down the Irish Sea would have less economic impact - although clearly some. But dividing the United Kingdom up like that is distinctly unpalatable and in normal times would be unacceptable to the unionist party.

Certainly I know of nobody in business who has yet worked out the consequences - the company I work for has outlets in Northern Ireland and paying VAT and export duty on goods being delivered from our main warehouse to there (and then claiming it back afterwards) is preposterous.

Quote ="The Ghost of '99"This is such a huge thing now - the consequences of the Johnson deal on Northern Ireland could be massive if an alternative isn't worked out through the transition period (and no reasonable proposition that involves leaving the CU/SM has yet been suggested). A no deal exit presented the prospect of a hard border across the English Channel which was unthinkable madness. Erecting a softer border, but a border nonetheless, down the Irish Sea would have less economic impact - although clearly some. But dividing the United Kingdom up like that is distinctly unpalatable and in normal times would be unacceptable to the unionist party. Certainly I know of nobody in business who has yet worked out the consequences - the company I work for has outlets in Northern Ireland and paying VAT and export duty on goods being delivered from our main warehouse to there (and then claiming it back afterwards) is preposterous.'" Aye. It is still just a (NI-only) backstop - it’ll be interesting to see if we ever hear anything more about alternative arrangements and technological solutions, or if that is just too much bother now, and they just accept the new backstop as part of the deal, as there’s so much else to negotiate. I can’t easily imagine any pinkening of the ECJ redline, or that Johnson won’t want more freedom to diverge more than CU/SM membership would allow. That’d also let Farage back out of his box, and make him a Tory problem again. The EU are reported to be thinking of requesting an extension to the transition period, which’d allow Johnson to technically keep his word ( ) about not asking for one, get the extension that will be needed and maybe play the magnanimous statesman. I bet he’d ham that up to 11. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... is-johnson That report also says the EU might try for sequencing whereby they basically talk about and come to agreement on their priorities, before moving on to financial services etc. Even I think that is beyond a reach, so they either think they have more leverage than I think they do, or it is just something that costs them nothing to give away later. And Johnson can sell it as another win, on his way to an even bigger majority in 2024, and I can listen to how cuddly he is while waiting my turn in the queue for the food bank.

Quote ="The Ghost of '99"This is such a huge thing now - the consequences of the Johnson deal on Northern Ireland could be massive if an alternative isn't worked out through the transition period (and no reasonable proposition that involves leaving the CU/SM has yet been suggested). A no deal exit presented the prospect of a hard border across the English Channel which was unthinkable madness. Erecting a softer border, but a border nonetheless, down the Irish Sea would have less economic impact - although clearly some. But dividing the United Kingdom up like that is distinctly unpalatable and in normal times would be unacceptable to the unionist party. Certainly I know of nobody in business who has yet worked out the consequences - the company I work for has outlets in Northern Ireland and paying VAT and export duty on goods being delivered from our main warehouse to there (and then claiming it back afterwards) is preposterous.'" Aye. It is still just a (NI-only) backstop - it’ll be interesting to see if we ever hear anything more about alternative arrangements and technological solutions, or if that is just too much bother now, and they just accept the new backstop as part of the deal, as there’s so much else to negotiate. I can’t easily imagine any pinkening of the ECJ redline, or that Johnson won’t want more freedom to diverge more than CU/SM membership would allow. That’d also let Farage back out of his box, and make him a Tory problem again. The EU are reported to be thinking of requesting an extension to the transition period, which’d allow Johnson to technically keep his word ( ) about not asking for one, get the extension that will be needed and maybe play the magnanimous statesman. I bet he’d ham that up to 11. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... is-johnson That report also says the EU might try for sequencing whereby they basically talk about and come to agreement on their priorities, before moving on to financial services etc. Even I think that is beyond a reach, so they either think they have more leverage than I think they do, or it is just something that costs them nothing to give away later. And Johnson can sell it as another win, on his way to an even bigger majority in 2024, and I can listen to how cuddly he is while waiting my turn in the queue for the food bank.

At the moment Brexit hasn't happened, so we haven't seen any of the negative consequences that will happen. People can still say "it's all project fear". A lot of people voted Leave out of frustration with the status quo and think that Brexit is going to make things better rather than worse.

The reality that Boris will have to deal with is that Brexit is going to create a lot of negative consequences and a lot of tough decisions and trade-offs that will leave some groups unhappy. When those realities hit people, and Brexit is no longer a hypothetical situation which the 'establishment' is denying the democratic will of the people for, the terms of political debate will completely change.

Businesses will face all sorts of higher costs, especially if they export or import anything from the EU or are involved in a supply chain with firms who do. Restriction on migration will create hiring shortages and drive up wages. Remember - as the Tories like to keep telling us - we're at close to full employment and have been for a while. There isn't a huge pool of unemployed workers in the UK with the skills needed to fill these jobs. Higher costs will lead to higher prices for consumers.

Boris and his allies have spent 3 years denying the idea of 'project fear' and insisting that we have a 'great future round the corner' outside the EU. They can't backtrack now if negative economic effects happen and blame Brexit. The size of Boris' majority also removes any opportunity to blame Parliament / 'the establishment'. The Conservative government will face full accountability.

Some of those newly elected Conservative MPs in northern areas are going to face some difficult conversations with their constituents particularly if they have spend the election campaign knocking doors insisting that Labour has abandoned them and the Conservatives are the ones listening to the working class. The way the Tory party operates with its MPs is with tightly controlled 'lines to take' and so when they get angry northerners coming to their surgeries complaining about problems with their hospital they will get told, we've put record investment in to the NHS, 30,000 new nurses and we've got Brexit done etc etc whatever, and the people just won't hack it.

Also at the first sign of things going wrong after Brexit, Boris will have to deal with Farage reappearing on the airwaves criticising him as a sell out. Expect an early battle to be over access to fishing rights. The EU are going to drive a hard bargain with the UK over this if Boris wants to get this deal concluded by the end of transition, and with his large majority Boris can probably just concede on it like he did over the border down the Irish Sea and cut off the DUP. Those angry fishing communities will be one of the first groups to say they were betrayed over Brexit (farmers probably will be second) and Farage will position himself as their champion and start to lay in to Boris.

Not true though - we've flat lined economically at a time when the rest of the world was enjoying relative prosperity. We've sunk billions into quantitative easing, thousands of the best paying jobs in the country have already been moved to the future EU and I can speak from personal experience that the collapse of the pound has been a direct factor in some businesses going to the wall and thousands losing their jobs.

And this is just the phony war part.

Ah but the explanation for that was due to 'uncertainty' and used as an argument for getting Brexit done.

Now Boris is going to get Brexit done, we can all surely expect the shackles to come off, and Boris can unleash the great potential of the UK economy...

I look forward to the nonexistent borders for Ireland because he wanted anyone who had extra paperwork to ring him. I wonder how that will go. He won with such a majority that anything that goes wrong he cannot blame on others but he will try of course.

They will. They now own this mess, 100%. But you know who will be to blame if it all goes wrong, don't you? "Labour left the country in a right mess after the 2008 global financial crash, we couldn't afford to do Brexit properly." I can already picture the comment sections of the Daily Mail and Express.

Wassup JeaBron? Logged in using the wrong ID?

Johnson won and I hope for the good of the country he improves things for EVERYONE because his majority is such that anything that doesn’t he and the conservatives own. I and many others will be back to tell you we told you so because sadly he and those around him are even more hard right in ideology.

Interesting post - Labour wont learn and with the power of the NEC in the hands of hard left Momentum gang it is very likely they will elect a leader in the guise of Corbyn/McDonald - they are already lining up lemon-face. Labour leadership are in complete denial - Corbyn is delusional he thought Labour won the argument and it was on Brexit that did for them!!

I think Boris has breathing space as long negotiations are progressing and he is transparent with that progress. He is in a strong position he can leave without a deal and there is very little that can be done about it and the EU know that - a bit like the EU you can't drive a wedge through the resolve of the UK as you could before.

What will be interesting is to see if Labour support Boris' deal - have they learned any lessons? Will the leading leadership contenders vote with the deal?

If Labour are having to win back the kind of people who are saying this on national TV, I'm afraid there is no hope...

"Look around you, shops are shutting, businesses are closing, the full place is falling down, so I voted for change, that's why I voted Conservative"

Why can't these people put 2 and 2 together???

It's definitely not because they're stupid