Dr Rupa Huq, MP for Ealing Central and Acton, criticised the government's failure to end no-fault evictions in "watered down" bill. 

Housing Secretary Michael Gove says no-fault evictions in England would be indefinitely delayed until after court reforms have occurred, saying it was "vital" to update the courts first. 

Yesterday (21 October), the Ealing Central and Acton MP said in Parliament: "I welcome the proposals, although some detail is needed on the burden of proof. 

"Why has the blanket ban on unscrupulous landlords saying, 'No children', vanished, as has the no-people-on-benefits stipulation?  

"I know from my weekly surgery, landlords who say, 'No DSS' are the big barrier to unlocking this part of the market, because pensioners and others are excluded." 

Gove replied: "First, we will be clear that landlords cannot have blanket bans of the kind. 

"Secondly, colleagues will declare interests, but landlords are good things. We need landlords to provide homes.  

It is nothing to be ashamed of to be in the business of providing a safe, warm and decent home for someone, and there is nothing wrong with people who have saved and work hard investing in property." 

The conservative party promised reform to the Renters Reform Bill and Section 21 evictions in their 2019 manifesto which was debated for the first-time yesterday. 

Currently, landlords can evict tenants who are not on fixed-term contracts without reason, under housing legislation known as Section 21. 

Under the government's bill, all tenancies would become "rolling" contracts with no fixed end date. 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, joined Huq in calling out the bill. 

He said: "This new analysis is deeply concerning. For too long, landlords have been able to take advantage of exploitative no-fault evictions, which leave renters vulnerable, simply because the Government refuses to act.  

"It is inexcusable that four years after the Government vowed to ban no-fault evictions, so little progress has been made. Ministers must act swiftly to strengthen and pass the Renters Reform Bill to ensure that renters get the legal protections they desperately need and deserve." 

Research from The Telegraph says 87 MPs earn an income from residential property, of which 68 are Conservatives. 

The newspaper suggests that Tory MPs who owned rental properties were considering rebelling against the bill. 

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