UK Homelessness Minister Faces Backlash for £700 Rent Hike After Evicting Tenants
Labour’s Minister for Homelessness, Rushanara Ali, is under fire after reportedly increasing rent on a property she owns by £700 per month — just weeks after evicting the previous tenants.
According to a report by The i newspaper, four tenants living in a house owned by Ali in East London were informed last November that their fixed-term lease would not be renewed. They were given the legally required four months’ notice to vacate the property.
Shortly after their departure, the same property was re-listed with a £700 rent increase — drawing accusations of profiteering and hypocrisy, particularly in light of Ali’s government role focused on addressing homelessness and housing insecurity.
A spokesperson for Ali responded to the criticism by stating: “Rushanara takes her responsibilities seriously and complied with all relevant legal requirements.”
The spokesperson also said the home was initially put up for sale while the tenants were still living there. It was only re-listed as a rental, they claimed, after failing to sell.
Despite this explanation, housing campaigners and rental rights groups have condemned the move as exploitative and emblematic of wider issues in the UK’s rental market — especially as Parliament moves toward passing the Renters’ Rights Bill, which aims to restrict such practices.
Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, called the revelations “shocking” and a “wake-up call” to the government.
“It is bad enough when any landlord turns out their tenant to hike up the rents,” he said. “But the minister responsible for homelessness knew only too well about the harm caused by this behaviour.”
He added that the bill, currently undergoing scrutiny in Parliament, will ban landlords from re-letting properties for 12 months if they evict tenants to sell — a measure recently weakened by a House of Lords amendment reducing the period to six months.
Tom Darling, director of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, echoed the outrage: “It’s mind-boggling that we have a homelessness minister who has just evicted four people in order to rake in more rent — something that will soon be illegal under legislation her own department is backing.”
Darling called for Minister Ali to recuse herself from further government discussions on the bill, citing a clear conflict of interest.
Despite mounting criticism, senior Labour figures have so far stood by Ali. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told reporters: “I don’t know any of the details of this, but I understand that she has followed all of the rules in this case.”
However, Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly called for greater accountability, stating: “These allegations would be an example of the most extreme hypocrisy. Rushanara Ali should consider her position as a minister.”
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