Tory spat over Cameron's plan to purge Central London of poor people

[Alf W]

Interesting row brewing here

London's mayor Boris Johnson has said he will not accept "Kosovo-style social cleansing" in London, as MPs prepare to discuss a new cap on housing benefit.

It follows concern from MPs that the £400-a-week cap will mean people will be forced out of the city.

Conservative mayor Mr Johnson said that would not happen "on my watch" and he was negotiating with ministers.

Earlier this week Deputy PM Nick Clegg said references to social cleansing were deeply offensive.

The PM's spokesman said David Cameron did not agree "with what Boris Johnson has said or indeed the way he said it".

So, is it worth buying up a load of BTLs in suitably grim places outside London (Swindon?) and filling them up with bunk beds should Cameron win and drive the poor out of London?

Or is it worth buying up council properties in the worst Inner London suburbs in anticipation of all the City boys piling in once the riff raff are forced out?

[kandr]

Interesting row brewing here



So, is it worth buying up a load of BTLs in suitably grim places outside London (Swindon?) and filling them up with bunk beds should Cameron win and drive the poor out of London?

Or is it worth buying up council properties in the worst Inner London suburbs in anticipation of all the City boys piling in once the riff raff are forced out?

Nah, time for a startup, "Kandr inner London removals"

[HairyArsedBloke]

I wouldn't want to be someone in their twenties who is currently on the incapacity benefits. It looks like that unless you can prove that you have less than six weeks to live you are deemed to be well enough to do some sort of work. The only housing costs they can get is toward a room in a shared house. They are going to have a hell of a time trying to get work as employers will never hire them, so are bound to lose the 10% of their housing costs.

Their should be more help for them to take their own lives without leaving a mess for someone else to clean up or causing inconvenience to others.

[d000hg]

Or is it worth buying up council properties in the worst Inner London suburbs in anticipation of all the City boys piling in once the riff raff are forced out?

That was my immediate thought. Swapping people into nicer homes than they're in, outside the city, could be way cheaper. Leaving rich idiots free to pay stupid prices to live in London. Everybody wins...

[TimberWolf]

I don't see how people even working in the city are managing, assuming they are on minimum wage and unsupported by the state. Even where I live, the newspaper headline yesterday was that a couple needs to be earning £50k to buy a house, and rents aren't cheap either. One good thing might come of exodus of the poor from London, is that wages paid to workers left will have to be at a level that are liveable on; so much legislation has kept these artificially low and perhaps now this is all coming to a head. Low wage employers are being subsidised by the tax payer in one way or anther.

[Doggy Styles]

Am I missing something here? The new limit is 400 quid a week, or 1700 a month, or 20,000 a year. That sounds an awful lot of tax-free dosh.

[sasguru]

Clears the riff-raff outside of London, so the rest of us elite types can enjoy the theatres, restaurants, museums, parks etc.of the greatest city in the world.
But where are we supposed to get the cleaners, gardeners and nannies that we are used to?

[sasguru]

Am I missing something here? The new limit is 400 quid a week, or 1700 a month, or 20,000 a year. That sounds an awful lot of tax-free dosh.

Yes you are. £1700 a month is a mere pittance to pay for the rent of a London house.

[TimberWolf]

Clears the riff-raff outside of London, so the rest of us elite types can enjoy the theatres, restaurants, museums, parks etc.of the greatest city in the world.
But where are we supposed to get the cleaners, gardeners and nannies that we are used to?

You might have to start paying liveable wages

[AtW]

Am I missing something here? The new limit is 400 quid a week, or 1700 a month, or 20,000 a year. That sounds an awful lot of tax-free dosh.

WHS - tax free £1700 - it is like nearly £30k salary just to spend on accommodation. I pay £600 right now and planning to move to a smaller but nicer house for £750 - A MONTH.