Lucy Powell (pictured) has vowed to take on the “vested interests of landlords” as she leads the race to become Labour’s next Deputy Leader, dashing any hopes of a softer approach after Angela Rayner’s departure.

Polling shows she is leading Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson by 31 points among party members, and the latest betting odds have Powell at 1/12 to win when the results are announced on October 25th.

Housing will be priority

Powell has made housing central to her pitch to the party. She told The Big Issue magazine that housing issues will remain “prioritised without Angela being there” and that she will “take that very seriously”.

She describes housing as “the bedrock of the rest of your life” and talks explicitly about taking on “bad landlords” and their “vested interests.”

Powell also champions the Renters’ Rights Bill to tackle landlords who “hike rents” or issue no-fault evictions, backs changes to Right to Buy that restrict social housing sales and wants “big investment in social housing” alongside building more homes to fix the housing crisis.

Targeting landlords

And she has pledged to target landlords who provide poor quality accommodation or issue evictions “just to put the rent up”, while pushing for the rental sector to offer “security, affordability, decent standards and dignity”.

Powell’s hardline approach to the rental sector could prove controversial, as, although she denies being a landlord, she admits earning over £10,000 per year from a lodger.

It is an area that has proved problematic for Labour. Her predecessor,  Rayner, was forced to resign over a Stamp Duty underpayment, Homelessness Minister Rushanara Ali had to quit after evicting tenants and reletting her property for £700 more per month, and Labour donor Lord Alli faced similar criticism over a tenant eviction which was followed by a £1,000 rent hike.

While Powell won’t hold ministerial power as Deputy Leader – Steve Reed now controls housing policy – her role as a key Government spokesperson means her anti-landlord stance is likely to set the tone for Labour’s approach to the sector.