Thangam Debbonaire
MP for Bristol West
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The coronavirus crisis will not affect us all equally. For people on precarious incomes who rent their homes, there is a real risk that they will fall into arrears and be evicted.
The government has banned evictions until the autumn, but the economy will take much longer to return to anything resembling normality. In my role as Shadow Housing Secretary, I asked minister Chris Pincher to consider the millions of renters worried about being forced from their homes and extend this deadline further. He refused.
Last month, Citizens Advice estimated 2.6 million people are likely to be in rent arrears this summer, due to lost income in recent months. I will keep fighting to protect these people’s homes. If the government fails to act, we could see an unprecedented increase in evictions and homelessness.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2601479873434983