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Michael Gove’s flagship tenant reform bill, which would have ended “no-fault” evictions in England, has been shelved again, sparking fierce rebukes from the government over why it keeps stalling.
Some supporters of the bill claim the crucial second reading in the House of Commons is being stymied by vested interests in the government whip’s office, where five of the 16 whips own rental properties.
One Whitehall official, who asked not to be named, said: “There are landlords in the whip’s office who are exacerbating Tory MPs’ concerns and delaying progress.”
A Tory source said: “There are serious concerns that if we don’t go ahead with the second reading Labor will make this a big issue at party conference.”
Whips, who are advising ministers on how Tory MPs should respond to the new legislation, strongly deny they let personal financial interests cloud their judgement.
“This is a ridiculous suggestion,” a source in the whip’s office said. “If there are concerns expressed by the whip’s office, they also reflect the concerns of the wider parliamentary parties.”
Senior government insiders believe the delay is due to Gove, who rose to become a minister, not doing enough to allay Conservative MPs’ concerns about the bill, leading to the possibility of a serious rebellion.
“There have been concerns about the bill from day one,” a government source said. “It will not appear on the order until Michael and his team let backbenchers understand what these proposals really mean.”
Gove’s team denied the minister had failed to properly engage with MPs, citing numerous meetings in recent months.
The Conservatives first announced plans to reform the rental market, including more protections for tenants, in their 2019 manifesto, which was tabled in the House of Commons in May.
under proposed billwhich will give landlords stronger rights to repossess properties if their tenants exhibit anti-social behavior or repeatedly default on rent.
Still, its main feature is the abolition of short-term lettings and the consequent “no-fault” evictions, which Gove believes will help signal Conservative policies to help young voters.
However, MPs never had the chance to debate the legislation and on Thursday House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt did not include the second reading when she announced parliamentary business for the remainder of the current parliamentary session. in.
The next meeting will begin on November 7th. Gove remains hopeful the bill will have a crucial second reading before that date and can be “continued”.
But the session languished in a series of inconsequential “general debates” with ministers apparently unwilling to orchestrate legislation that could spark a Tory rebellion.
Following Gove, Labor frontbencher Angela Rayner is expected to make housing a key theme at next month’s party conference, claiming in July that Tory vested interests were blocking tenant reform bills.
She told the Financial Times: “Renters are currently facing a desperate situation and desperately need greater security and better rights, but this zombie government has made no effort to legislate.”
One in five Conservative MPs are landlords, according to research carried out this year by campaign group 38 Degrees. The report found that a total of 87 MPs from all parties declared income from 167 properties last year that had a rental income of more than £10,000.
Polly Neate, chief executive of housing campaign group Shelter, said the government’s failure to “urgently push forward the Tenants Reform Bill has led to millions of tenants abandoning their broken homes” Privately renting, their homes may be forcibly taken from them for no reason.”
“We’ve heard from countless renters who are extremely concerned because they know an unjust no-fault eviction notice could land on their doormat at any time, leaving them with just two months to find a new home,” she said.
A government spokesman said: “The government remains absolutely committed to delivering a fairer private rented sector for tenants and landlords through the Tenant Reform Bill. The bill embodying our manifesto commitments is progressing through Parliament and a second reading will take place soon.”
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