Activists are demanding that the government stop landlords circumnavigating an imminent eviction ban by hiking rents so tenants leave anyway.

The London Renters Union made the demand ahead of the publication of the long-awaited Rental Reform Bill.

One of the Bill’s provisions is widely expected to be a ban on Section 21 evictions but the LRU claims the plans are “open to a range of abuses and would fail to properly abolish ‘no-fault’ eviction.”

In the four years since Downing Street first promised to scrap Section 21, the government has also been adamant that it will not introduce rent controls in England, although they now exist in Scotland.

Last year’s government White Paper – although seen by many as very pro-tenant – also resisted rent controls.

An LRU spokesperson now says: “The Tories must not give with one hand and take with the other.

“If [Housing Secretary] Michael Gove is serious about bringing renters security in our homes, he must ensure this new legislation brings an end to all no-fault evictions, especially the use of unaffordable rent rises to get tenants out.

“The Tories have kicked this Bill into the long grass for years, and it is only the growing strength of the housing movement that has forced them to deliver change.”

The union wants an immediate rent freeze and stronger protections against fraudulent uses of new section 8 eviction powers which are expected to feature in the Bill.