Rayner and Gove attack ‘vested interests’ over leasehold reform
2 months ago | 3 comments
Angela Rayner urges Keir Starmer to pick fights with landlords
9:26 AM, 25th March 2026, 1 month ago
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Former deputy leader of the Labour Party, Angela Rayner has told Sir Keir Starmer to ‘pick more fights’ with landlords and freeholders.
At a fundraising dinner in central London, the former housing secretary said voters feel the system is ‘rigged against them’, the Daily Telegraph reports.
She went on to say that she expects a tougher response from the government, particularly on housing.
Ms Rayner’s intervention follows a warning last week that Labour was ‘running out of time’ to shift direction before May’s local elections.
Pick more fights
She described financial strain among working households, including those in professional roles who are taking on additional jobs yet still struggling to meet monthly costs.
Ms Rayner said: “They feel that nobody understands and cares about the difficulties they go through.
“And this isn’t just people who you would naturally associate with struggling, naturally associate with poverty.
“These are professional people, people that are working really hard, people that have got two, three jobs and they’re still not able to get to the end of the month with their wage packet.”
She added: “And they need to know they’ve got a government on their side, and they’re impatient for change and I understand their impatience.
“So, I think we have to pick more fights, personally.”
Freehold ‘rips off’ people
Housing featured prominently in the speech, with Ms Rayner focusing on the leasehold system and the role of freeholders collecting ground rent.
Plans set out earlier this year would cap ground rents at £250 annually, before reducing them to peppercorn levels after 40 years, without abolishing leasehold entirely.
She said: “Those people that sold the freehold, that are ripping off people for no money … You may as well lob the money in the street, they’re not doing anything for it.
“People have bought flats and are now being absolutely fleeced.
“We should be standing up for them, we should be saying we’re not having that anymore and I think we have to keep doing that.
“We have to do that with some in the private sector that are taking huge sums of money for children’s centres et cetera when, let’s be honest, they’re not delivering.
“That’s what Bridget [Phillipson] is doing with the new Send reforms.”
Call for rent controls
Meanwhile, tenant campaigners have renewed calls for direct action on landlords and housing costs.
London Renters Union spokesperson Jae Vail told the Morning Star: “Labour is haemorrhaging support across the country over its pro-landlord, pro-developer stance on the housing crisis.
“If the government wants to win any of that support back, it must take on landlords and put our right to a good home first.
“That means introducing rent controls that bring down housing costs and investing in the council homes we need to end the housing crisis for good.”
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Angela Rayner landlords, freeholders UK, labour housing policy, Labour local elections housing, leasehold reform ground rent, rent controls debate
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Member Since October 2013 - Comments: 1642 - Articles: 3
9:21 AM, 30th March 2026, About 4 weeks ago
Reply to the comment left by DavidM at 29/03/2026 – 21:10
Why should the Labour Party pay for her personal legal expenses. I’m sure the hard pressed ‘workers’ who pay their union subscriptions, will be happy to know they are helping support a multi-millionaire tax evader.
Member Since May 2023 - Comments: 226
10:59 AM, 30th March 2026, About 4 weeks ago
Reply to the comment left by juliet bonnet at 25/03/2026 – 10:51
“I would imagine that the estate agent would not be highlighting those costs, for fear of losing the sale and therefore their commission”
Interesting point, but example of failing in their professional duty to inform their client so putting their professional indemnity insurance at risk, which should be a much greater concern than an individual transaction.
Member Since October 2020 - Comments: 63
11:41 AM, 30th March 2026, About 4 weeks ago
Reply to the comment left by Tim Peters at 25/03/2026 – 10:06
How can a seller do anything about the ground rent? The seller is usually a leaseholder not the freeholder of the block. In any case it never used to be a problem to have increases in ground rent (excepting the recent addition of leasehold houses and doubling ground rents by greedy developers), it has become an issue because lenders are making it one. Nothing to do with the leaseholder selling or buying. Why would you not pay your annual ground rent, whether it is £50 or £1000, when the service charge is usually in the thousands? That is the real problem. The bankers and lenders.
Member Since October 2020 - Comments: 63
11:43 AM, 30th March 2026, About 4 weeks ago
Reply to the comment left by Sarah O’Connell at 25/03/2026 – 13:45
I totally agree with your assessment. Have also been involved with blocks which have done RTM and it can be worse than a neutral MA. R&R are incompetent and their service charges are through the roof.
Member Since October 2020 - Comments: 63
11:51 AM, 30th March 2026, About 4 weeks ago
Reply to the comment left by Ian Narbeth at 25/03/2026 – 16:39
It is also the lenders that now have a bee in their bonnet when it comes to groundrent.
Member Since May 2023 - Comments: 6
12:34 PM, 7th April 2026, About 3 weeks ago
Reply to the comment left by Tim Peters at 25/03/2026 – 10:06
It is not that simple. While the associated fees may be reasonable and you may be willing to pay them, the situation can change significantly if a lease extension is required. In such cases, the freeholder may insist on a new agreement that includes sharply escalating ground rent and service charges -potentially increasing fivefold every five years.
In practice, this leaves leaseholders with very limited options: either accept the terms or risk losing the lease altogether.
Member Since May 2023 - Comments: 6
12:36 PM, 7th April 2026, About 3 weeks ago
Reply to the comment left by Tim Peters at 25/03/2026 – 10:06
It is not that simple. While the associated fees may be reasonable and you may be willing to pay them, the situation can change significantly if a lease extension is required. In such cases, the freeholder may insist on a new agreement that includes sharply escalating ground rent and service charges -potentially increasing fivefold every five years.
In practice, this leaves leaseholders with very limited options: either accept the terms or risk losing the lease altogether.
Member Since September 2022 - Comments: 26
2:22 PM, 7th April 2026, About 3 weeks ago
Reply to the comment left by Karen at 30/03/2026 – 11:41
Re ground rents….Arguably lenders are doing the job that buyers solicitors need (needed) to do on purchase, ie alerting buyers that the ground rent terms will make the property difficult sell.
So now Leaseholders need protecting against this, and only government can do that. Limit ground rent amounts.
I think It shows by how long help is in coming from government that government can be seen to be favouring developers over buyers. (Surely we may call the buyers ‘Ordinary working People; OWP?!)
Member Since October 2013 - Comments: 1642 - Articles: 3
3:10 PM, 7th April 2026, About 3 weeks ago
Many leasehold properties are in negative equity and the mortgage cannot be increased.
Member Since January 2025 - Comments: 91
3:19 PM, 7th April 2026, About 3 weeks ago
Reply to the comment left by NewYorkie at 07/04/2026 – 15:10
… and why is that the freeholder’s fault… if your leasehold value reduces the chances are the freehold value has reduced too… the leasehold system does need urgent reform but mainly to protect leaseholders from themselves… further, legislation exists to allow leaseholders to work together and in certain circumstances take effective control of the freehold… in my experience though, trying to get leaseholders to work together is more difficult than trying to herd cats into a cupboard…