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Labour in row over plan to protect renters during coronavirus
A row has broken out over the Labour Party’s proposed plan to protect renters during and after the coronavirus crisis.
More than 4,000 party members have signed an open letter accusing party leader Keir Starmer of “failing renters”.
The letter, backed by left-wing campaign group Momentum, demands that Labour change its position to call for tenants experiencing income losses during the pandemic to have rent payments cancelled.
It follows shadow housing secretary Thangam Debbonaire setting out Labour’s five-point plan to protect renters in a column for Inside Housing this weekend.
As part of the plan, the party would offer renters “a two-year period to pay back any arrears” built up during the crisis.
But the letter from members said this approach “does not help us as workers” and “simply pushes the problem down the road”.
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It added: “If a worker misses out on three months worth of income, and has to pay that back over 2 years, that is a 12% increase of rent that must be paid, in the worst recession in centuries [sic].
“Your solutions simply are not good enough. You are failing renters.”
Previous Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was replaced by Mr Starmer in April, had said rent “needs to be suspended for those adversely affected by the impact of the coronavirus outbreak”.
Labour London mayor Sadiq Khan has also previously signalled support for a “rent holiday” without deferrals.
Some prominent Labour backbench MPs have criticised the party’s new plan, as well as influential left-wing columnists Owen Jones and Stephen Bush.
The government has effectively paused private and social rented sector evictions for a 90-day period – currently set to end in late June – with tenants and landlords expected to agree rent repayment plans for arrears built up during the pandemic.
Charities and councils have warned of a potential spike in evictions once the moratorium is lifted, but housing secretary Robert Jenrick has promised that renters will be given “added protection” to prevent them losing their homes.
