ABSTRACT
The right to buy (RTB) began as a headline, arguably hard-line, policy of Mrs Thatcher’s Conservative government in 1979, but it became the most signifi - cant single housing policy of the last 30 years. Giving council tenants the right to buy their homes at discounted prices raised passions on both sides of the political divide, but it became a very popular policy with the public, even with those who appeared to suffer as a consequence. Over time the RTB has also come to be seen as almost a human right and as such has become politically sacrosanct, embraced by the main political parties. Even so, from a policy perspective it has always been contentious.
