A prominent journalist, well known for her articles championing renters’ rights, says tenants could be worse off under Labour than they were under the Conservatives.

Vicky Spratt, housing correspondent at the i newspaper, writes: “Under the stewardship of [Chancellor Rachel] Reeves and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the class and intergenerational inequality that came to define the experience of living in the United Kingdom during 14 years of Conservative governments looks like it will only get worse.”

Spratt cites recent government decisions to prevent some under-22 year olds from claiming a health top-up on Universal Credit and the failure to increase the Local Housing Allowance despite rising rents. She contrasts those with the government’s decision not to move away from the so-called triple lock for pensioners. 

And she dismisses the extra £2 billion, announced this week for affordable housing, as a mere “drop in the ocean” because it will fund only 18,000 new social and affordable homes.

As a result, Spratt analyses the government’s approach like this: “Labour’s welfare changes mean that even the wealthiest State Pension recipients will see their state support increase by more than low-income renters, or unwell and disabled people who are struggling to make ends meet.”

Separately, activist group Generation Rent has also been sharply critical of the Spring Statement’s welfare reforms.

It says: “Pushing people into poverty doesn’t help them to escape it. Never has and it never will. Government plans to reduce the number of people who can claim Personal Independence Payments, while limit Universal Credit for those under 22, will drive people into debt, poverty and homelessness. 

“Forcing people into poverty will be expensive for the taxpayer too. The cost will simply shift. Councils will have to provide temporary accommodation at eye-watering rates and the impact on health will add to pressures on the NHS. We urge the government to reverse these proposals to cut welfare spending.”

You can see Vicky Spratt’s full article here, although for some readers it will be behind a paywall.