In the United Kingdom, a new case embarrasses the government of Keir Starmer, already in difficulty in the polls: the deputy duty responsible for public construction and the contrast to the homeless, Rushanara Ali, is accused of evicting the tenants from his home and then increased the rent by almost 700 pounds per month.
A perfectly legal behavior according to the current rules, but which goes in open contrast with the philosophy of the new law on rents promoted by the Labor government itself to protect the tenants.
The eviction and the raised rent
According to what was revealed by an investigation by the newspaper I Paper, the four tenants of a house owned by the minister, located in the East of London near his electoral college of Bethnal Green and Stepney, would have been informed last November that the contract would not have been renewed, because the property was about to be put on sale.
The rent was 3,300 pounds per month. After their eviction, however, the house returned to the market, this time for rent, to almost 4 thousand monthly pounds.
A law that prohibits this
The episode aroused a wave of indignation because Ali is the same minister who, publicly, promised to end the abuses of the hosts and to defend the tenants from unjustified increases. The new Rinters’ Rights Bill, strongly desired by the Labor and intended to enter into force in 2026, provides that, in similar cases, it is not possible to relocate the property to a larged rental for at least six months after the eviction.
“Rushanara takes her responsibilities very seriously and has respected all the legal requirements in force,” said a minister spokesman. According to a source close to Ali, the property was put on sale while the tenants still lived there, and these would have been offered the possibility of remaining with an indefinite contract. They would therefore have chosen to leave. The property would then be rented when the sale would not have been successful.
Avalanche of resignation requests
But the explanations have not convinced everyone. Exponents of all the main British parties, including Labor himself, now ask for the resignation of the deputy administration. “It is a clear example of extreme hypocrisy,” said James Cleverly, a shadow spokesperson for the construction of the conservatives. Kevin Hollinrake, president of the Tory Party, has come back: “You can’t say something and make the exact opposite. He must resign”.
Peter Wishart, vice -president of the Scottish National Party in Westminster, has directly put the premier directly: “This story is a Stager test. He must fire it immediately”.
Even inside the Labor party there are those who are furious. Jess Barnard, former president of young Labor, commented: “It is the right time to reiterate that parliamentarians should not be hosts. And the hosts should not be Labor parliamentarians”. Labor councilor Martin Abrams wrote: “You can’t believe it. Rushanara Ali must resign. #LandlordsautoFlabour”.
Mairi Macrae, director of the campaigns of the beneficial organization Shelter, commented bitterly: “It is difficult to believe. After months of hesitation, the government’s homeless minister is making on those same tricks that the Rights Bill Ringers should eliminate”.
