Angela Rayner has ruled out introducing rent controls or rent freezes to ease cost-of-living pressures in England, pushing back against suggestions floated by Prime Minister Andy Burnham earlier this week.
Speaking to the BBC, the new Housing Secretary insisted that government policy would focus on market-stabilising regulations rather than price caps.
The former deputy prime minister also acknowledged that Labour’s pledge to construct 1.5 million new homes over five years will be "a really difficult stretched target".
Rent controls dismissed
The debate over state intervention in the private rental sector reared its head on Monday (20 July) after Andy Burnham told reporters he was weighing temporary rent freezes as part of a wider cost-of-living policy package. Mr Burnham initially championed the policy three years ago while serving as Mayor of Greater Manchester.
However, Ms Rayner has firmly shut down that prospect during an appearance on BBC Breakfast this morning (Friday, 24 July).
"We won’t be looking at rent controls if that’s what you’re getting at at the moment," she said. "That is not something that we’re looking to do because we’ve seen what’s happened in areas like Scotland. It hasn’t necessarily brought rents down."
When asked about Mr Burnham’s long-standing support for a private sector rent freeze, Ms Rayner maintained that market conditions and legislative protections had changed over time.
"I don’t think that rent freezes, rent controls, is a way forward at the moment," she said. "Three years ago Andy called for that because there was a significant crisis in the rental market. We implemented between then the Renters’ Rights Act which is giving renters more power and control."
Homes target under pressure
In a separate interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the Housing Secretary was quizzed on the goal set under Sir Keir Starmer after the 2024 general election. Both Sir Keir and Rachel Reeves promised to build 1.5m homes over the next five years.
Ms Rayner said she was not dropping the commitment despite conceding it will be "challenging".
"We’ve seen things like construction costs go up etc, which has had a real negative impact on that," she said. "But I’m not dropping it. I’m just saying that it is a really difficult stretched target."
Pressed further, the 46-year-old said: "Yeah, I’m going to keep the target, but it’s like me saying I’m going to run the London Marathon in under five hours. That would be a real challenge for me, but I’d do it… Look, I am straight-talking."
She added: "One-point-five million homes is a difficult target. It was when I made the target, but I’m going to keep the target, and I’m not going to be defeated."
