Housing secretary says earnings declared in line with the rules
A group of campaigning renters brought a novelty cheque to the housing ministry this morning to protest a £20,000 speaking fee received by Angela Rayner from a group representing estate agents.
The new prime minister, Andy Burnham, named Rayner as his housing secretary at the end of July, returning her to a position she had held under Keir Starmer before leaving government amid a controversy over her tax affairs.
The Register of Members’ Financial Interests shows that, during her period on the backbenches, Rayner received a £20,000 fee from Propertymark for a two-hour speaking engagement at the Propertymark One conference in June.
The London Renters Union (LRU) says the payment is a “clear conflict of interest”, pointing to the new housing secretary’s decision to rule out rent controls shortly after her appointment.
The new housing secretary’s opposition to rent controls is long-held with Rayner saying in an October 2024 parliamentary debate that rent controls “restrict housing supply, which does not help anyone”.
A spokesperson for Rayner said: “All earnings have been declared in line with the rules.”
Propertymark is a professional body and membership organisation for UK estate agents. According to the LRU it “briefed and lobbied heavily against a rent freeze” amid rumours the chancellor was considering the measure earlier this spring.
“It’s a clear conflict of interest that the housing secretary is taking large sums from the property industry and then acting to protect the profits of landlords, developers and estate agents,” said a spokesperson for the union, which advocates the introduction of rent controls.
Nathan Emerson, chief executive of Propertymark, said speaker fees ”form part of the investment in delivering a high-quality programme for attendees” and said Rayner had been invited ”because of her significant role in shaping the Renters’ Rights Bill and the depth of insight she could bring to the discussion”, adding that other senior political figures, including Mel Stride and Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, featured at the conference.
“At the time of Propertymark One, the Labour government under Sir Keir Starmer remained in office and Ms Rayner was not serving as a government minister,” he said. ”There was no indication or expectation that she would subsequently return to government, nor was there any certainty at that point about the future political leadership under Andy Burnham. Her invitation was therefore based solely on her experience, expertise and significant role in the development of the Renters’ Rights Bill, and the valuable insight she could provide to property professionals seeking to understand both the policy rationale and practical implications of the legislation.”
A group of tenants from the LRU assembled outside the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government early on Wednesday this week to protest the payment, bringing a novelty cheque worth £20,001 – a penny more than the Propertymark fee – with them to present to Rayner.
The LRU pointed to recent reports from University College London, as well as left-leaning think tanks such as the Institute for Public Policy Research and New Economics Foundation, showing that rent controls could save renters money and reduce the housing benefit bill. However, private developers and landlords, as well as free market advocates argue that the policy distorts price signals, reducing housing supply and harming long-term affordability.
“Rent controls are an effective cost of living measure that could save struggling renters £1000s a year. Rayner must listen to renters rather than carry out the bidding of rich lobbying groups,” said a spokesperson for the union.
They added: “If this government really wants to make a break with “40 years of neoliberalism”, then it has to put a stop to the exploitative rent hikes pushing us out of our homes and communities.”
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