Stamp Duty Land Tax

Scott Arthur Excerpts

Tuesday 28th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Mel Stride]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The tax is a blocker on the aspirations of those who are growing their families and simply want to find a home with more bedrooms. Often, they cannot find those homes because empty nesters—those whose children have left home—are not prepared to face the huge, eyewatering stamp duty involved.

[Dr Scott Arthur (Edinburgh South West) (Lab)]

Is not the reality that people cannot find homes in England because his Government failed to build them while in power?

[Sir Mel Stride]

We built 2.8 million homes since 2010, and a million in the last Parliament. It remains to be seen how many homes this Government will build.

Another huge advantage of abolishing stamp duty is that it will generate more transactions, which will benefit more plumbers, electricians, builders, designers, estate agents, surveyors and conveyancers, and allow local economies to thrive. Above all, it will increase the effective supply of housing, and that means a fairer society and a stronger economy.