All hail our new leader

The election of Boris Johnson as prime minister this week was as predictable as the ending of most Disney movies. Yet the bloodbath that was the subsequent cabinet clear-out was anything but family viewing. Boris says he wants Britain to “believe in itself again”, and that’s something we should welcome. Whether proposed tax cuts or increases in the stamp duty threshold to £500,000 materialise remains to be seen. But whatever your politics – and Moda very much builds in spite of politics, taking no alignment – there’s no denying that the air of negativity around the UK has done nothing for investment. The cloud of Brexit still hovers gloomily overhead. But at the end of the day, people will still need places to live and work. As everyone rushes to scrutinise Boris’s initial speech, along with the CVs of yet another communities secretary (former Treasury minister Robert Jenrick) and housing minister (Esther McVey, MP for Tatton – not too far from our Angel Gardens and Lexington projects), it’s worth considering three things. A new building boom? First, during his two terms as London mayor, Boris oversaw one of the biggest modern booms in development. Clearly, this had more to do with the property cycle than Boris bikes, but his lieutenant, Sir Eddie Lister, now looks to be returning to his side. This is good news. Part of Boris’s reign focused on making positive noises around institutional investment into residential. The London Plan recognised build-to-rent and made specific provisions for discount market rent – things now being rowed back upon by Sadiq Khan as he embraces the full lefty taster menu of rent caps. Boris says he wants Britain to ‘believe in itself again’, and that’s something we should welcome Second, Boris spoke this week of Britain’s aspirations. As you’d expect from a Conservative prime minister, where housing is concerned these centre on home ownership. But as I see it, aspiration feeds into other areas of what we create. From workplaces to rented housing, we should be creating aspirational buildings and experiences, not just buildings that tick a box. Our role in this market – particularly if we want to improve the sector’s reputation – must be to take on this mantle and drive aspiration. Only by creating aspirational rental apartments will companies like ours and others in this space be able to shed the skin associated with landlords. We’re doing that through investing heavily in wellbeing and amenities, as well as through cutting fees and deposits entirely. In the logistics market, buildings have evolved from being literal sheds to fully tech-enabled workplaces with great amenities for staff. In the office sector, just look at the fantastic work being done by Hermes at NOMA and by Bruntwood at Circle Square, both in Manchester. We have a lot to be proud of. Holding the purse-strings A third point worth consideration: our new chancellor, Sajid Javid, is someone who understands business. He is unlikely to be cutting stamp duty any time soon, but equally he is likely to see sense over rent caps. While Jenrick is clearly talented – he came across well during his year at the Treasury – the buck on tax ultimately stops with Javid. So while many parents may be spending the summer holidays watching The Lion King, Boris will be working hard to prove that he can live up to his own hype and be the “mane” man. Let’s hope Brexit doesn’t send yet another prime minister to the elephant’s graveyard. Read more: Property bosses hope for ‘Boris bounce’ as new prime minister is named