Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has been accused of trying to ‘ram’ the Renters’ Rights Bill through Parliament.

This follows revelations that Labour members of the House of Lords have been ordered to attend a late-night sitting session on Wednesday to ensure the bill passes its latest stage.

Presence required

A memo left on a printer in the Lords and seen by The Daily Telegraph says to Labour peers: “Your presence is required. Colleagues are needed to ensure committee stage finishes”.

Now, Paul Holmes, a shadow housing minister, says: “Labour clearly can’t handle the heat of proper scrutiny and are resorting to bully-boy tactics to ram their bills through Parliament.

“The Renters’ Rights Bill is a half-baked plan that will reduce the supply of rental homes, push up the cost of renting and make things worse for tenants.”

Unacceptable

And Baroness Eaton, a backbench Conservative peer, said: “We have serious concerns about the impact the Renters’ Rights Bill will have on the supply of residential homes in our rental market.

“It would be unacceptable to debate crucial issues such as EPC ratings in the private rented sector and local housing authorities’ investigatory powers cursorily, late at night, simply to fulfil the Prime Minister’s desire to go ‘faster and further’.”

Rushed through

The Conservatives had previously criticised the Bill during its second reading in the Lords, including Baroness Scott, who is one of the Conservative’s housing spokespeople in the Lords, who said the legislation is being ‘rushed through’.

A spokesperson for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, says: “We completely reject these claims, this Bill has been subject to Parliamentary scrutiny since September, and has been in the Lords for more than four months.

“It is not unusual for debates on a Bill to run later so that it can progress.”

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