Right-Wing Media Watch: Telegraph ridiculed over ludicrous Jeremy Corbyn house sale story
The coverage presents it as though Corbyn has been caught doing something hypocritical, hinting at well-worn cries of 'champagne socialism.'
They slurred him relentlessly when he was leader of the Labour Party. More than a decade later, the same media is still trying to find ways to turn Jeremy Corbyn into a political punchbag.
This time, the target is his house.
The Telegraph splashed on the story this week with the headline: “Jeremy Corbyn is selling his North London home for around £700,000 – nearly twice as much as he paid for it.”
The article reports that the Your Party MP for Islington North has lived in the three-bedroom terraced house in Finsbury Park since 2007, when he bought it for £363,000, according to Land Registry documents.
The property was initially advertised in March for £800,000. After failing to sell, the asking price was reduced to £780,000 in April and then £750,000 in May.
It is now under offer, according to the Telegraph, having eventually been advertised for offers over £700,000. The final sale price will not be known until contracts have been exchanged.
So far, so unremarkable.
But the Telegraph clearly considers Corbyn’s property portfolio worthy of closer scrutiny. The article goes into detail about the estate agent’s description of the house as a “charming and spacious” three-storey townhouse, with a 26ft-long rear garden and “great links to the City and West End”.
It also digs up a quote from Corbyn describing the street as his “dream street,” which he said was “very friendly and mixed”.
Then there is the council tax.
“This year, Mr Corbyn would have paid £2,577 in council tax to Islington council for the Band E property.”
And, seemingly unable to resist another political dig, the article contrasts Corbyn’s home with that of foreign secretary Ed Miliband, noting that, unlike Miliband’s North London property, Corbyn’s house does not have a heat pump.
Instead, the Telegraph informs readers, the “D”-rated property has gas heating and a gas boiler.
This is a remarkable amount of attention to devote to a politician selling a fairly ordinary London terraced house.
The Daily Mail was even less restrained.
“Jeremy Corbyn is set to double his money on his North London home after agreeing £700,000 sale,” its headline declared, adding:
“Socialist former [Labour] leader Jeremy Corbyn is likely to nearly double his money on his North London home after agreeing terms with a buyer.”
The paper then attempted to add some more political significance by claiming: “Many neighbours on his street in Islington, North London, are also thought to be staunch socialists and were supporters when he was Labour leader, so may be sad to see him leave.”
It went on to point out that the property’s value is well above the UK average and the London average.
The piece even includes photographs of the house, which, to be honest, hardly looks like a luxury pad. It’s a fairly modest, terraced property in an expensive part of London.
While there is nothing unusual about someone selling a home they bought almost 20 years ago for more than they paid for it, particularly in London, where property prices have risen hugely in recent years, the coverage presents it as though Corbyn has been caught doing something hypocritical, hinting at well-worn cries of ‘champagne socialism.’
Readers were quick to point this out.
One comment observed:
“A copy of the Telegraph costs £4, five times what it cost in 2007.”
Another said:
“Breaking news: person sells house for what you’d expect them to sell it for in the current market.”
One reader highlighted the absurdity of trying to turn a normal property gain into evidence of political hypocrisy:
“Almost like that’s how markets work. If he sold it for what he paid for it, Telegraph would be reporting on him being a terrible businessman and try to imply he would have been terrible at balancing the country’s budget.”
And another offered a suitably Telegraph-style alternative:
“It’s called the housing market telegraph. Last I checked you were a fan of this?”
There was also this suggestion:
“I can put him in touch with a potential buyer who has £5m cash and wants a pad that’s not too close to Clacton.”
Someone else joked:
“Person sells home in housing market. Telegraph names him. Exclusive.”
Breaking news indeed.
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