Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has come under fire for “ramming through” Labour’s controversial Renters’ Rights Bill with what critics are calling “bully-boy tactics”—sparking outrage from Conservative peers and deep concern among landlord bodies. The bill, which aims to overhaul tenant rights, has ignited alarm across the private rental sector, with critics warning that rushed legislation could devastate rental supply and accelerate landlord exodus.
A leaked memo—reportedly left on a printer inside the House of Lords and seen by The Telegraph—instructed Labour peers to attend a late-night session on Wednesday 15 May to ensure the bill clears its latest stage. “Your presence is required,” the note read bluntly. “Colleagues are needed to ensure committee stage finishes.”
‘Half-baked plan’ risks rental chaos
Paul Holmes MP, Shadow Housing Minister, said: “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.”
That sentiment was echoed by Baroness Eaton, a Conservative peer with long-standing ties to housing policy. She condemned the late-night handling of the legislation as “unacceptable”, adding: “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 and council enforcement powers cursorily, late at night, simply to fulfil the Prime Minister’s desire to go ‘faster and further’.”
The Conservatives had previously raised red flags during the bill’s second reading, with Baroness Scott warning that Labour’s housing plans were being “rushed through” without due diligence.
Buy-to-let investment hits record low
Landlords’ anxiety over the bill is not unfounded. According to Propertymark CEO Nathan Emerson, the sector is already on shaky ground. “Property professionals from up and down the country continue to be left wondering how this legislation will help meet the much-needed demand for homes for people to rent,” he said, pointing out that buy-to-let investment has plummeted to a 17-year low. In Q1 2025, landlords accounted for just 10% of property purchases across Great Britain—down from more than double that in the 2010s.
Emerson warned that “88% of landlords have no confidence in the current private rental sector due primarily to the Bill itself, and more than a third plan to leave the sector altogether this year.” He added: “We continue to make the case for evidence-based policies that support a flexible and fair private rented sector for all and urge the UK Government to recognise the unintended consequences of the Bill, rather than trying to rush this legislation into action.”
Is the government listening?
Despite growing outrage, a spokesperson from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities brushed off criticism, stating: “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.”
But many in the sector aren’t convinced. What’s the point of scrutiny, they ask, if vital concerns—such as energy efficiency standards, enforcement mechanisms, and landlord viability—are being swept under the rug during midnight sittings?
For landlords already grappling with mounting regulation, tax pressures and rising interest rates, this latest move is being seen as yet another blow to confidence.
