Michael Gove slammed after delaying scrapping of no-fault evictions following Tory rebellion

The BBC reports that Ministry of Justice data shows no-fault evictions in England between April and June this year increased by 41%, compared to the same period in 2022.

Michael Gove

The Tory party has once more shown how it is on the side of the privileged, after Michael Gove delayed plans to end no-fault evictions amid a backlash from Tory MPs.

The Labour Party has accused Gove of striking a “grubby deal” with Tory MPs to avoid an embarrassing backbench rebellion. That means yet more hardship for those in the rented sector. We wonder if opposition from the Tory party to ban section 21 notices (no fault eviction), whereby landlords have the right to evict tenants for no reason with only two months’ notice, has anything to do with the fact that a quarter of Tory MPs are private landlords.

The BBC reports that Ministry of Justice data shows no-fault evictions in England between April and June this year increased by 41%, compared to the same period in 2022.

Labour says its analysis shows another 30,840 households face being threatened with homelessness through no-fault evictions if the government does not pass the bill by the last possible date for a general election (28 January, 2025).

Gove has been slammed by the Labour Party for yet another delay, with Angela Rayner saying that the government has ‘betrayed’ renters in a bid to win the support of Tory backbenchers – many of whom are landlords.

Gove says that he is delaying the ban on no fault evictions until reforms are made to the way courts handle so-called “Section 21” cases.

Reacting to yet another delay from the government, Shadow levelling up secretary Angela Rayner said: “The government has betrayed renters with this grubby deal with the Tory backbenches.

“The Conservatives’ long-promised ban on no-fault evictions has majority and cross-party support across the House, but this flip-flop kicks it into the long grass.

“Having broken the justice system, they are now using their own failure to indefinitely delay keeping their promises to renters in the most underhand way. This comes at a heavy price for renters who have been let down for too long already.”

Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward

Comments are closed.