James Cleverley blames Labour’s Renters’ Rights Act after receiving Section 21 notice

The Shadow Housing Secretary has said he has received a Section 21 notice, blaming Labour’s housing reforms for prompting landlords to sell up.

Speaking at a London Housing Conference, James Cleverly said the notice was issued after his landlord decided to sell the property.

He also warned that the Renters’ Rights Act will do more harm than good.

Renters’ Rights Act will not protect tenants

Mr Cleverly said his experience of receiving a Section 21 notice is “replicated thousands of times across the country”.

He blamed the Labour government for the Renters’ Rights Act, arguing that despite claims it is meant to protect tenants, it will have the opposite effect.

Speaking to PoliticsHome, he said: “The key bit of this is the arrogance with which Labour approached this process. They just refuse to listen to the points we’re making because it was we who were making those points.

“Unfortunately, now the people who are suffering are the people who could and should have a decent supply of properties in the private rented sector, and they don’t.

“The people who they claim to want to protect are the very people who are being disadvantaged by this and it didn’t have to be like this. If the Labour Party weren’t so arrogant and unwilling to listen, it wouldn’t be happening.”

Conservatives failed to ban Section 21

A Labour source hit back and told PoliticsHome: “The Shadow Housing Secretary will be furious when he finds out who is responsible for allowing no-fault evictions to continue.

“It’s his Conservative Party that failed to ban them during their 14 years in office.

“Labour in government is putting things right and ending this unfair practice to protect renters from suddenly being thrown out of their homes for no reason. If he has changed his views and now agrees with us, he should cross the floor and join Labour.”

The news comes ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force on 1 May 2026.