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Great British PAC
Policy

‘Classic socialist authoritarianism’: Labour to let councils take over private homes left empty for six months

The qualifying period for an Empty Dwelling Management Order is being reduced from two years to six months, and councils will no longer have to provide evidence on matters such as anti-social behaviour or community support when they ask a tribunal for permission to take over the management of a home. Other statutory tests, and the tribunal’s approval, remain. The change, announced during Labour’s conference in Liverpool, has drawn sharp criticism from property campaigners and senior Conservative figures. The government says no application for an order has been made since 2021.

Vicky Richter · 28 September 2026
Policy

TV licence could be scrapped and replaced with £11 a month levy on broadband bills

A cross-party think tank has drawn up plans to scrap the licence fee and replace it with a monthly charge on internet connections, understood to have been discussed with advisers to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. The proposal would cut the annual cost for existing payers, but extend BBC funding to millions of households that pay nothing today.

Vicky Richter · 24 September 2026
Sovereignty

Tony Blair Institute urges Burnham to set ten-year path towards rejoining EU

A report by the Tony Blair Institute sets a ten-year ambition for Britain to rejoin a significantly reformed EU and lands three days before Labour gathers in Liverpool. The same morning, the IPPR estimated that UK goods exports to the EU could have been up to £6.5bn a year higher under a mutual recognition agreement.

Vicky Richter · 24 September 2026

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