The government has been slammed after both the housing secretary and homelessness minister lefts under a cloud.
Firstly Angela Rayner resigned as housing secretary and deputy PM on Friday after it emerged she didn’t pay the stamp duty surcharge on her £800,000 flat in Hove, East Sussex, amounting to £40,000.
Secondly, Rushanara Ali quit as homelessness minister after she evicted tenants from her Bow property before raising rents – going against her own pledge to ban landlords from relisting vacant properties at higher rates.
Greg Tsuman, managing director for lettings, Martyn Gerrard Estate Agents, said: “The message couldn’t be clearer: the government must get its housing policy in order – or risk running out of ministers to resign before they manage to fix the housing market.
“Rather than pushing simplistic narratives that demonise landlords for the affordability crisis in the private rented sector, politicians need to get their own house in order and acknowledge their role in creating the pressures driving up rents and reducing supply.
“With the Renters’ Rights Bill up for discussion on Monday, I think it’s likely that all the amendments made by the House of Lords to inject common sense into the Bill are rejected, leaving legislation that fails to empower tenants and instead forces landlords into defensive pricing, ultimately harming affordability and choice for everyone.”
Rayner has been replaced as housing secretary by Steve Reed, while David Lammy has taken her role as deputy prime minister, also leaving his foreign secretary role to become justice secretary.
She claimed “it was never my intention to do anything other than pay the right amount” and added “I “deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice”.
After resigning, another report said Rayner’s house was overvalued when she sold a stake to a trust worth £162,500 – money she used as a deposit to buy the Hove flat for her disabled son. As a result, news could still rumble on about her property dealings.
In her resignation letter Ali said she complied with all the “relevant legal requirements” but felt she had become a distraction.
At the time of writing she has yet to be replaced.
Tsuman added: “Let’s not be distracted by political reshuffles – the core issues remain unchanged. Legislative and tax pressures on landlords are rising, not easing, and these added costs inevitably make life harder for tenants. Every new expense in the system gets passed on as higher rents.
“It’s contradictory to blame landlords while simultaneously implementing policies that push rents up. The solution is clear: streamline regulations, lower the tax burden, and promote stability so landlords can offer homes without constantly passing on increasing costs. To make renting fairer and more affordable, we need less political posturing and more practical, effective reform.”