The Generation Rent activist group – which already has a former Labour candidate as chief executive – has now appointed a former Labour MP to chair its board.

Dame Karen Buck was a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2010 for Regent’s Park and Kensington North, and then for Westminster North from 2010 to 2024, the constituency believed to possess the highest proportion of private renters in the country. 

Buck authored and led the Private Member’s Bill which became the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2019. 

Generation Rent’s chief executive Ben Twomey – who has stood for Labour in crime commissioner elections – says: “We are delighted to welcome Dame Karen Buck to the Generation Rent team, where her vast experience will be of huge benefit to our cause. 

“The pressures on renters right now are enormous, but so too are the opportunities for change. With Karen’s leadership and expertise, I am confident that Generation Rent will continue to persuade governments to improve the lives of renters across the UK. Karen absolutely shares our vision that renting can, must and will get better.”

Buck says: “It’s a privilege to join Generation Rent when renters are so high up the political and media agenda. This is in no small part thanks to the organisation, as the only non-profit dedicated to empowering private tenants to be heard in the corridors of power all over the UK. 

“I look forward to working with the brilliant staff team and board to make sure that every renter lives in a secure, quality and affordable home.”