A newspaper reports that Housing Secretary Michael Gove is willing to rely on Labour votes to pass the Renters Reform Bill – even if that splits the Conservatives in the Commons. 

The Sun claims the Bill – which still awaits its Third Reading in the Commons, having passed previous readings and the Committee Stage several weeks ago – may well return to the Commons after Easter.

However it is known that a growing number of Tory MPs are opposed to the measure, which they believe contains elements which may result in a smaller private rental sector and higher rents. 

Gove and the government’s junior housing spokesperson Jacob Young are working with the backbench Tory MPs to find a compromise, although this has proven impossible during several weeks of discussions so far.

The Sun says: “Whitehall insiders say the PM doesn’t want to face the embarrassment of Tory MPs voting against the government. A source close to Mr Gove said: ‘Michael is focussed on working with backbench colleagues, No10 and the whips to get the bill back ASAP and deliver the manifesto commitment.’”

The Sun continues: “A government source said: ‘It’s a complex area, and we’re working through with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Labour are in a right mess over housing, stopped houses ready to go being built and Sadiq Khan wants failed rent controls which would make things so much worse for renters. Labour hasn’t got a scooby.’”

The newspaper adds that if talks within the Parliamentary Conservative party collapse, the Bill would still return to the Commons with Gove pushing ahead and relying on Labour MPs’ votes to ensure a majority.

The most prominent opponent of the Bill in the Commons is Totnes MP Anthony Mangnall, who is not a landlord himself. 

Ironically, he says he supports scrapping Section 21 eviction rights, a central part of the Bill. But he claims many Tories are furious about the Bill also banning fixed-term rental tenancies and replacing them with periodic tenancies that don’t have an end date.

Mangnall has been quoted in the Sun in recent days saying: “I want to amend the Bill not to kill it. It’s my role as a legislator to ensure we pass sensible legislation. We’ve had constructive meetings with Michael Gove. This is about trying to find the right balance.”