Angela Rayner stood in for Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs, and she opened with fireworks. ‘They’re desperate to talk about my living arrangements,’ she said, referring to her property woes, ‘but the public wants to know what this government is going to do about theirs.’
Brighton resident, Natalie, contacted Rayner about ‘no-fault evictions’. This isn’t much of an issue. When your tenancy ends, you rent a new flat. Big deal. But Labour loves a victim. And they use emotive language to turn the chore of ‘moving house’ into a Dickensian tragedy. ‘Ban this cruel practice,’ cried Rayner. She hasn’t considered that if renters enjoy the same rights as freeholders, the rent will go up. The policy will wreck the benefits it hopes to deliver.
The agony of local taxation came up
Replying for Rishi Sunak, Oliver Dowden began with a quip about his frequent catfights across the despatch-box with Rayner. ‘Any more of these and she’ll be claiming it as her principal residence.’
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