We are now counting the cost of Michael Gove's dreadful mistake
After a long and controversial career in politics, Michael Gove drew many admirers from the Conservative Party. But one of his biggest blunders is only now coming to light, and could well end up costing the Tories crucial votes next time Britain goes to the polls.
The Tories' 'Mr Fixit' served continuously in the Cabinet for 14 years under four prime ministers. Though (tellingly), he never held one of the Great Offices of State, he was unusually effective, particularly in reforming the education system and seeking to end the scandal of leasehold property 'ownership'.
Highly intelligent and full of can-do energy, he is the kind of politician who actually gets things done, rather than serving up endless platitudes like most MPs.
But his eagerness for change was also his weakness (see his disastrous public betrayal of Boris Johnson), and second home owners are now feeling the ill-effects.
I'm not convinced he fully understood the powers he handed to local councils as part of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act. Perhaps I'm being too generous, but the powers go against everything the Conservatives should stand for.
Thousands of people across Britain have been shocked to receive demands for double council tax on second properties under powers granted by Mr Gove that took effect in April.
Back in 2023, the Government said one of the outcomes of the reforms would be to 'rebalance the housing and land markets'. It would do this by 'giving local councils the power to increase council tax on empty homes'.
That statement was misleading. The fine print of the Act makes it clear this is an increase on second homes, no matter how well used they are, not simply empty properties wealthy investors are hoarding with no intention of ever using.
Councils have already had the power to charge extra tax on emptyhomes since 2013. These were unfurnished properties that had been unoccupied for at least two years, and the premium was set at 50pc to encourage owners to rent them out or sell up. That seems fair enough.
The changes that Mr Gove brought in attack boltholes, often owned by families for generations. These are often in places where there is actually little demand for year-round housing.
Several writers at The Spectator, the august organ that Mr Gove now runs as editor, agree.
Matthew Lynn, also of this parish, notes that second homes account for just 3pc of our housing stock, compared to 10pc in France and 54pc in Sweden. He argues that, rather than penalising owners, we should be encouraging people to buy one.
In the same magazine, Ross Clark makes the obvious point that the real issue is we are not building enough of the kind of the houses in the places we actually want them. Branding second homers as evildoers who need to be bled dry, doesn't fix that one jot.
What does Mr Gove make of all this?
Does he regret giving councils free rein to extort property owners, some of who have invested in these homes in lieu of pensions and other savings to support themselves in old age, or painstakingly restored dilapidated homes no one else wanted?
We don't know what he thinks because he has been strangely quiet. To his credit, he is not stopping others from criticising his second homes raid, but we deserve to hear his side of the story.
Telegraph Money reader, Sue, is spot on when she says that the 'only people it seems to be popular with are the local councils, who can't believe their luck'.
She added: 'At a stroke, the Tories lost many of their hardcore voters (including me), some of them probably never to return (very probably me).'
He was a mercurial politician of rare skill but he has opened pandora's box. The least we deserve is an apology and his help in reversing a wrong-headed raid on aspiration.
The Telegraph is campaigning to abolish the second homes council tax raid. Mr Gove, if you are ready to join us, my email is below.
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