Angela Rayner has called on the Labour government to fulfil its manifesto pledge to cap ground rents, warning that failure to act could erode public trust. Writing in the Guardian, the deputy prime minister described a “titanic battle” against wealthy investors lobbying to water down reforms.
Rayner said millions of leaseholders, many young families, face “crippling” ground rent payments that can double every five to ten years. She noted that the Competition and Markets Authority has found nearly one million leases contain escalating or onerous ground-rent clauses.
The government’s draft leasehold and commonhold reform bill is due imminently. Rayner argued it must include “at the very least, an annual cash cap” on ground rents. She dismissed investor concerns, saying only a small fraction of UK pension fund assets depend on ground rents, and that redirecting investment towards productive assets would boost growth.
Rayner contrasted the government’s record on employment and renters’ rights with the need to tackle leasehold injustice. She said the battle over ground rents is a symbol of whether Labour will stand up for struggling families or for established interests.
