Labour MP ‘Evicted Her Tenants’ then Raised Rent by £700

Labour’s homelessness minister has been accused of “extreme hypocrisy” after allegedly evicting her tenants and hiking the rent by £700 a month.

Rushanara Ali, MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney, reportedly gave her tenants four months’ notice in November 2023 that their £3,300-a-month lease would not be renewed.

The four-bedroom townhouse, less than a mile from the Olympic Park, was later listed at £4,000 per month.

A source close to Ms Ali told i Paper that the tenants had been offered the chance to remain on a rolling contract, but the home was then put up for sale. It was relisted for rent only after no buyer was found, they claimed.

But former tenant Laura Jackson, a self-employed restaurant owner, disputed that account:

“It’s an absolute joke. Trying to get that much money from renters is extortion.”

The 33-year-old added that she received a notice in November informing her that the tenancy would end, with four months to vacate.

Ms Jackson later discovered the home was back on the market, with the rent raised by £700.

It was reported that the new tenants confirmed they had moved in “four or five months ago” and were paying the higher rate.

The timing of the incident has fuelled criticism due to Labour’s proposed Renters’ Rights Bill, expected to become law in 2026. The bill prevents landlords from relisting a property at a higher rent within six months of asking tenants to leave in order to sell.

Ms Ali has publicly condemned the exploitation of renters and vowed her government would “empower people to challenge unreasonable rent increases”.

But Conservative shadow housing secretary James Cleverly said:

“This would be an example of the most extreme hypocrisy and she should not have the job as homelessness minister.”

The property was managed by two letting agencies: Jack Barclay Estates and Avenue Lettings.

Upon ending the tenancy, the agencies attempted to charge the tenants £1,950 for repainting and £395 for professional cleaning.

Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, landlords cannot charge tenants for such services unless there is serious damage beyond reasonable wear and tear.

Ms Jackson said the home was “not clean when [they] moved in” and described the experience as “really stressful”.

She added: “If we hadn’t known the charges were unlawful, we would have had to pay them. It’s exploitative.”

She claimed the charges were only withdrawn after she informed the agencies that their landlord was a Labour MP.

It is understood that Ms Ali ensured the fees were scrapped once she was made aware of them by the agencies.

Ms Jackson, a Labour voter, said:

“It’s morally wrong that MPs can be landlords, especially in their own constituencies. It’s a conflict of interest.”

According to the Land Registry, Ms Ali bought the townhouse in 2014 for over £300,000 less than its current listing price of £894,995.

The home was first put on the market in November 2023 for £914,995, but the price was reduced in February 2025.

The rental property is one of two owned by Ms Ali, as declared in the MP’s register of interests.

Ms Ali became minister for homelessness following Labour’s general election victory in July 2024. In March, she praised the Renters’ Rights Bill, stating it would “tackle the root cause of homelessness”.

The Government has said that the end of a private rental agreement is one of the leading causes of homelessness in the UK.

The bill, currently moving through Parliament, will ban fixed-term tenancies. Landlords will only be allowed to evict tenants for antisocial behaviour, a genuine need to sell, or if the landlord or a family member requires the home.

Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, said the allegations were “shocking” and “a wake-up call.”