One of the founding fathers of liberalism, Locke, in his Treatise of Government, writes that what renders the appropriation of property just is that one does not worsen the situation of others by doing so. He uses the example of water; it is not unjust to appropriate water from a river if there is still enough water in the river for others to quench their thirst.

This notion set forth a long-standing liberal commitment to property rights that has become synonymous with the free market and the liberal right across the Anglosphere; one that the Conservatives have always subscribed to. But the security that Locke demands as a condition of the just appropriation of property is increasingly in doubt.

With housing standards at an unacceptable low despite record-high house prices, many lack the basic security that a good home would provide. Recently, two-year-old Awaab Ishak died due to the exposure to mould in his inadequate home, resulting in respiratory failure. We have over a quarter of a million homeless people, and over three thousand sleeping on the streets.

An obvious solution to this market failure is for the government to do the job themselves. And, indeed, social housing in the UK often does a better job than the market. Some social homes are built remarkably cheaply – under the 2016-2023 Affordable Homes Programme, the average cost to construct a single one was £41,551. They are safer, too. Private rental homes are over two times less likely to meet the Decent Home Standard, a technical standard introduced by the government to ensure health and safety in housing.