Having stepped down as editor of the Evening Standard, George Osborne has wasted no time fleeing London, buying up a new £1.6 million five-bedroom Somerset mansion. Guido imagines George will now be regretting the 3% stamp duty surcharge he introduced in 2016, which will cost him £150,000…

His new house, in the village of Bruton, will fill the gap in Osborne’s property portfolio after selling his Notting Hill pad for £4.95 million in March after his divorce was announced in 2019. Bruton has been described in Country Life as the “new Notting Hill”, so he’s not exactly stepping out of his comfort zone…

The 18th century Grade II listed house comes with 5 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms, outbuildings, a cellar and over three acres of land

The garden includes a courtyard, a vegetable garden, three paddocks, an orchard, a former timber stable block, and – the jewel in the crown – a private vineyard.

£1.6 million seems like a steal, no need for “Help to Buy”…