UK housing reforms slow as leasehold ban delayed and Right to Buy restrictions tighten

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook said ending the leasehold system in England and Wales will be a slow process, arguing the plan must be staged to avoid hitting housing supply and legal pitfalls. A ban on new leasehold properties was passed in 2024, but Pennycook indicated it is unlikely to come into force before the next general election and will take years to 'switch on'.

Separately, ministers have tightened Margaret Thatcher's flagship Right to Buy policy by prohibiting the sale of newly built council houses for 35 years, a move Labour described as an attack on aspiration. The shifts reflect a cautious approach to reforming the housing market while sparking political debate over access to affordable homes in the UK.

Taken together, the two developments illustrate ongoing, state-led efforts to reshape housing ownership and tenure in England and Wales amid partisan scrutiny and policy uncertainty.