Campaign Story

Who I Am

I am a 68 year‑old retired community advocate and a widower. I have spent my life advocating for ordinary people—from starting as a shelf filler in a supermarket to managing large stores, then working as an insurance advisor, and later advocating on behalf of vulnerable and disabled people to secure their welfare and civil rights.

I spent part of my childhood in an orphanage, from the age of 4. I then went to a comprehensive school on a council estate. I have known poverty and instability firsthand. I understand the pressures that come with financial insecurity. That is why I have spent my life advocating for others, and why I am now fighting for fairness in the mortgage market.

I focused on pre‑tribunal dispute resolution, using the Civil Procedure Rules to resolve cases early. I was successful in resolving matters through dialogue and negotiation—court was always a last resort.

Now, in this campaign, I am following the same disciplined approach. I am seeking a barrister’s opinion to confirm the legal basis of the inequality I have identified. That opinion will be the foundation for formal complaints and mediation, allowing me to resolve the matter through dialogue, as the CPR requires. Court will only be a last resort if every other avenue fails.

I have seen how systems can fail people, and I believe we can build a better world.

The Unfairness: Compound Interest vs. Fair Partnership

The UK mortgage market is divided into three tiers. The difference in how people pay for their homes is stark:

· Tier 1 – Jewish community: Capped profit share. The Heter Iska is a partnership. The borrower knows from day one the maximum they will pay. No compound interest.

· Tier 2 – Muslim community: Capped profit share. Halal mortgages are also partnerships. The total cost is fixed in advance. No compound interest.

· Tier 3 – General population: Compound interest. Conventional mortgages charge interest that compounds over time. The final cost can be far higher than expected, and the borrower bears all the risk.

What This Means for Ordinary People

For a typical £200,000 home over 25 years:

· Tier 1 (Jewish) or Tier 2 (Muslim) – total cost ~£260,000. The borrower knows the cap from the start. If property prices fall, the lender shares the loss.

· Tier 3 (General population) – total cost ~£317,000 – £356,000. The borrower pays compound interest. If prices fall, they are left in negative equity alone.

The general population pays between £57,000 and £96,000 more for the same home, simply because they have no access to the fair, transparent, non‑compound models available to others.

The Legal Questions

I am seeking a preliminary legal opinion on two main questions:

1. Does this three‑tier structure breach the Equality Act 2010?

The general population is subjected to compound interest (open‑ended, unpredictable) while others have capped, non‑compound partnership models. This is a structural disadvantage that I believe amounts to indirect discrimination (section 19) and a failure of the public sector equality duty (section 149).

2. Is the secrecy around Heter Iska mortgages itself a breach of the Equality Act?

There is no public data on how many Heter Iska mortgages exist, who provides them, or what terms they offer. This lack of transparency hides the true scale of the disparity and undermines accountability and trust between communities.

What I Am Doing About It

I have prepared a detailed briefing paper and submitted it to my MP, to mutual organisations, and to the trade body for credit unions. I am engaging with the sector to explore how a fair, universal product might be developed.

I have also submitted Freedom of Information requests to the Financial Conduct Authority to gather data on Halal and Heter Iska mortgages. I am pursuing a formal complaint to HM Treasury, the FCA, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission, asking them to conduct an equality impact assessment of the three‑tier market. This is part of my commitment to resolving matters through dialogue first—as I did throughout my advocacy career.

To take this further, I need an independent legal opinion. A positive opinion would strengthen my case enormously and could open the door to a full‑scale challenge (with indemnity funding) if needed. As before, I would always seek to resolve matters through dialogue first—court would only be a last resort.

Why I Am Crowdfunding

I have approached several leading barristers’ chambers for pro bono help, but all are at capacity. I am now seeking to raise funds to pay for a fixed‑fee preliminary advice note from a specialist barrister in public law and equality law.

The cost depends on the barrister’s seniority and the complexity of the work. A junior barrister might charge £1,500 – £3,000; a senior silk (KC) could charge £5,000 – £7,500. I am aiming to raise up to £6,000 to give myself the flexibility to instruct the best person for this case, whether that is a junior with expertise or a leading silk.

Any surplus beyond the barrister’s fee will go towards printing, postage, and other campaign costs (including potential next steps like a pre‑action letter).

What This Campaign Is About

This is not about taking away from any community. It is about extending to all the fairness that some already enjoy.

It is about ending the hidden injustice where one group pays compound interest while others have the security of a capped, transparent partnership.

Make Usury Choice.

Together, we can build a just and equitable world.

If you believe that home buying should be fair for everyone, please support this campaign.

Thank you.

Carlton

Campaign for Mortgage Justice

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