“Scaremongering” accusation by Labour

Kerb appeal

It would appear that Sadiq Khan from the Labour party  has attacked Knight Frank, a firm of estate agents, for apparently sending out printed material to homeowners, highlighting the “threat” of a mansion tax before the election, the shadow London minister and shadow justice secretary  accused the firm of  “scaremongering”, arguing that it was an attempt by a private company to influence the results of the election.

There has been a pre election pledge by Labour to impose a levy on all homes worth more than £2m to raise cash for the NHS,  conservatives are opposed to any higher value property tax.  It has been reported that the letter sent out by Knght Frank does not urge voters to choose any particular party but suggests people may be thinking about their financial position with the election coming up, and includes a report setting out the possible implications for high-value house prices.

Sadiq Khan a possible  frontrunner to be Labour’s London mayoral candidate, was also reported as saying  “Estate agents are one of few professions trusted less than politicians, and I am shocked that Knight Frank think it is acceptable to scaremonger like this.”

Knight Frank replied to the comments by saying they were simply providing voters with a factual assessment of what the mansion tax would do, they went on to say
there had been lots of inquiries from clients and members of the public about what the mansion tax might mean for them, they said “What we’ve put together is a document that tries to understand what the tax is and how it might work.” He also went on to say it was not a political campaign and the estate agent was neutral on the idea of a proposed tax”

 

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

You May Also Enjoy

Letting Agent Talk

Dispelling the top five biggest letting agent myths

By Sophie Danes, Group Director of Property Management, Lomond   This year has seen the introduction of the seismic Renters’ Rights Act (RRA) as well as other changes affecting the private rented sector (PRS) coming into force, such as the rollout of Making Tax Digital (MTD). As a result, more than ever before, there is…
Read More
bank of england interest rate
Breaking News

Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75%

Colleen Babcock, property expert at Rightmove says: “There’s stability for now as the Bank of England holds its Base Rate as widely expected. We’ve seen average mortgage rates increase over the last few weeks as geopolitical tensions have escalated, and the average two-year fixed rate is currently coming it at 5.11%. For broader context, this…
Read More
New Builds 2020
Breaking News

Average new-build value to surpass £400,000

The latest research from UK Property Development has found that the average price of a new-build home in England is on course to exceed £400,000 by 2027, having risen steadily over the last decade alongside sustained growth across the wider British market. The research analysed average new-build house price data across Great Britain and its…
Read More
Breaking News

Money and Credit – June 2026

These monthly statistics on the amount of, and interest rates on, borrowing and deposits by households and businesses are used by the Bank’s policy committees to understand economic trends and developments in the UK banking system. Key points: Net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals increased to £7.7 billion in June, from £3.3 billion in…
Read More
Breaking News

Price of a sea-view home up 27% since 2019

The average asking price for a home with a sea-view in Great Britain is £298,810, up from £235,635 in 2019 (+27%) Average sea-view asking prices have risen by more than 50% since 2019 in both the East Midlands and Yorkshire & The Humber The South East remains the most expensive region for a sea-view home…
Read More
Breaking News

14.6% fewer farms in England

The latest analysis by LandSale has found that the number of agricultural holdings in England has fallen by 14.6% since 2005, highlighting the continued restructuring of the farming sector as some landowners exit the industry and others consolidate their operations. LandSale analysed the latest UK Government agricultural holdings data, comparing the number of total holdings and…
Read More