EAT poll: Who do agents back as the next Prime Minister?

A quarter of agents have indicated they may prefer Rishi Sunak as the next Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister – but most are unsure.

A poll on the Estate Agent Today LinkedIn page over the past week asked readers who would make a better Prime Minister for the housing sector and help drive forward reforms?

While 24% opted for Sunak and just 12% chose Liz Truss, the majority - 64% - said they preferred neither.

Like most of the public, Estate Agent Today readers won’t really have much say on who the next Prime Minister is unless they are one of the 160,000 or so Conservative members casting a ballot before a decision is made on 5 September.

It comes amid concerns that housing has been strangely absent from the leadership debates, with most of the focus on taxes and the cost of living.

Truss has mentioned in previous reports that she would scrap “Stalinist” housebuilding targets while her rival Sunak has mentioned freeing up more brownfield sites while protecting the greenbelt, but there has been little else when it comes to the property market.

Commenting on the poll, industry trainer Michael Day said: "I imagine housing will simply slip further down the agenda. 

"Ideology wise we are likely to continue to see focus on home ownership v private landlord renting but I expect competition to be regarded as more important than competency and therefore the Regulation of Property Agents standards to slide further into the long grass."

The National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB) last week lamented the “pitiful” lack of focus from either of the candidates on how they will address the country’s housing crisis. 

NAPB spokesman Jonathan Rolande said: “Housing reform seems to have been airbrushed from the debate with more time spent on how much a pair of earrings or shoes cost. 

“For millions across the country the fact they are unable to own or rent their own home is causing them much distress. They are rightly demanding answers as to how the situation can be improved, but neither Mr Sunak or Ms Truss appear to be speaking to them. 

“We need big, bold and forward-thinking policies in this area which provide solutions for the next 10 and 20 years.”