Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is under fire for allegedly pushing the Renters’ Rights Bill through the House of Lords without sufficient parliamentary scrutiny. The controversy arose after it emerged that Labour peers were ordered to attend a late-night sitting on Wednesday to expedite the bill’s committee stage.

A memo left on a printer in the Lords and seen by The Daily Telegraph instructed Labour peers: “Your presence is required. Colleagues are needed to ensure committee stage finishes.” The directive has triggered accusations from Conservative peers and opposition figures that Labour is unduly rushing legislation.

Paul Holmes, a shadow housing minister, criticised the approach, saying: “Labour clearly can’t handle the heat of proper scrutiny and are resorting to bully-boy tactics to ram their bills through Parliament. The Renters’ Rights Bill is a half-baked plan that will reduce the supply of rental homes, push up the cost of renting and make things worse for tenants.”

The Bill, first introduced in Parliament last September, includes sweeping reforms to the rental market. Key measures include a ban on no-fault evictions, the scrapping of fixed-term tenancy agreements, new minimum property standards and “Awaab’s Law” – requiring landlords to carry out urgent repairs within specified timeframes.

However, critics argue that the pace and timing of debate prevent proper consideration of these proposals. Baroness Eaton, a Conservative peer, voiced her concerns: “We have serious worries about the impact the Renters’ Rights Bill will have on the supply of residential homes in our rental market. It would be unacceptable to debate crucial issues such as EPC ratings and local housing authorities’ investigatory powers cursorily, late at night, simply to fulfil the Prime Minister’s desire to go ‘faster and further’. It is our duty to scrutinise this Bill thoroughly.”

These remarks reflect wider Tory frustrations, particularly in light of Sir Keir Starmer’s pledge to deliver change “faster and further” following Labour’s poor performance in recent local elections.

Lord Jackson of Peterborough echoed this sentiment, stating: “The Prime Minister’s vow to ‘go faster and further’ must not come at the cost of our constitutional duty to scrutinise legislation.” He pointed to Labour’s history in opposition, noting: “Their peers debated two Bills for 17 days each and forced 15 days of debate on the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act under the last government. Five and a half days on a major Bill like this is nothing.”

Labour has pushed back against these claims, arguing that Conservative peers have repeatedly attempted to delay the Bill’s progress. A Labour source said the whip mandating attendance was “merely indicating to our own colleagues how we plan to keep the legislative plan on track,” adding that delays were partly due to “procedural shenanigans and games from a handful of Conservative peers.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government defended the legislative timetable. A spokesperson said: “We completely reject these claims. This Bill has been subject to Parliamentary scrutiny since September and has been in the Lords for more than four months. It is not unusual for debates on a Bill to run later so that it can progress.”

The department also stressed the Bill’s importance, stating: “We are getting on with these reforms so they can benefit renters across the country – creating a fairer housing market, strengthening tenant rights by abolishing section 21 no-fault evictions, challenging excessive rent hikes, and ending unfair bidding wars.”

Despite the heated debate, the Renters’ Rights Bill is expected to return to the House of Commons for further consideration later this year. If passed, it could mark one of the most significant shifts in the private rental sector in decades.