Labour Rental Sector Review launch with Generation Re...

The chief executive of Generation Rent is one of the speakers at the launch of a review of the private rental sector undertaken for the Labour Party.

Former shadow housing secretary Lisa Nandy commissioned Stephen Cowan, the Labour leader of Hammersmith and Fulham council in London, to write a report on the sector. Nandy was dropped as shadow housing spokesperson by party leader Sir Kier Starmer last September.

Cowan’s report is now being launched on May 15 in Westminster.

The launch is being chaired by London Labour MP Karen Buck; other speakers at the event include William Hunter (described as a retired barrister and Labour activist) and Ben Twomey, CEO at Generation Rent.

Although commissioned by a member of the shadow cabinet in January 2023, no Labour front-bench spokesperson is billed as attending the launch.

The report is known to have been completed before last week’s local elections, but held back to avoid its recommendations being confused with official party housing policy.

A Labour website called LabourList says: “One source stressed it was an independent review, while another predicted it would include some bold proposals. Labour is expected to consider it in detail once it has been published … One source told LabourList they did not expect Cowan’s report to recommend rent controls.”

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