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Activists attack Labour housing chief for letting out a room

A little-known group called Labour Tenants United has criticised the party’s new housing spokeswoman.

Initially the group welcomed the appointment to the role of shadow housing minister of Lucy Powell, who was moved into the brief in Sir Keir Starmer’s controversial reshuffle on Sunday evening.

However, the group’s tweet saying: “Congratulations on the new role, @LucyMPowell. We look forward to meeting with you to develop a tenants-first housing policy that works” was quickly followed by a more caustic message.

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This said “On the other hand” and retweeted a social media comment saying that Powell was in fact a landlord in addition to being an MP.

The anti-Powell comment included part of the MPs’ register of interests, which states that Powell had let out a room in her apartment since June 2015, and that she owned a share of the freehold in a block of six flats in south London, in one of which she lives.

This is not the first time that this activists’ group has criticised landlords.

 

 

Last October Luke Evans, who claims to be a founder member of Labour Tenants United, wrote on a left wing website: “Labour’s backtracking on these issues is a sign that the decision-makers in the party do not understand the fundamentally opposed interests of landlords and tenants. Recognising this conflict is vital if the party wants to develop a programme to really fix the situation for private tenants. The party cannot return to appealing to the better nature of landlords.”

He continued: “It is hard to discount that the continued and disproportionate presence of landlords in positions of power within Labour might be one factor that explains why the party has been falling short.”

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    Are they worried she might get some real life first hand experience of life as a landlord and lose the rose tinted specs?

    This loony claims landlord and tenant interests are fundamentally opposed.
    This is utter rubbish for the vast majority of decent tenants and landlords who get along just fine. I rarely increase rents for sitting tenants and know most landlords do likewise.

    Any form of rent control interference, which these loonies want, will guarantee maximum annual rent increases for ALL tenants, again only hurting decent tenants.

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    • S S
    • 11 May 2021 09:03 AM

    Not quite sure why owing "a share of the freehold in a block of six flats in south London, in one of which she lives" is a story!
    That may have been the tenure on the property when it was bought - I expect all 6 owners have a share in the freehold. Great, they have control over their building and are responsible for it - not sure how that is bad?

    She has registered that she rents a room out! not against the law so why the BIG deal.

    It seems with that just owning a property is not aligned with supporting Labour. What rubbish. Landlords and tenants are "fundamentally opposed" - sorry but utter rubbish.

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    jack straw and meacher are/were landlords.

    many labor mps are--refer to dodds register

     
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    A very large number of MPs on all sides are landlords, why is that a problem ?

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    Good. Well now the Labout housing chief has a fuller understanding of why so many landlords feel driven out of the sector leaving their tenants homeless.

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    What they seem to be implying is that being a landlord of any kind, even letting out a spare room to someone who presumably would otherwise have to look elsewhere, is an offence that should be dealt with severely if such abhorrent behaviour is not immediately corrected.

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    "I'd like to buy a flat to live in please, but I don't want the share of freehold offered with it."

  • George Dawes

    Good old hypocrites labour as usual

  • Andrew Adnell

    The guy is clearly a Marxist who is anti any form of someone doing well with their life.

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    ............that Powell had let out a room in her apartment since June 2015, and that she owned a share of the freehold in a block of six flats in south London..............
    Probably had no choice in the acquision of the freehold share. I managed a number of blocks of flats when I worked and buyers had no choice in some so the dimwit moaning about this has demonstrated their ignorance of the way property law can work.
    Labour Tenants United should employ people of knowledge but of course they won't because they want everyone to have the same advantages in life. This fool should have listened to words of wisdom but that is just asking too much.

  • PossessionFriendUK PossessionFriend

    If Landlords had the view that all Tenants were bad, - there'd be NO Rented property.
    Whereas in reality, Landlords are Pragmatists and know its the same ole 5 % 'Usual Suspect Freeloaders that cause the problems.
    Its like shops saying all customers are Bad, - No, just the Shoplifters ! - everyone else is welcome and indeed encouraged.

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