Post-Brexit youth visa scheme with EU given green light

The European Union has given the green light to post-Brexit youth visas with the UK, after member states approved talks on how they would work in practice.

Campaigners welcomed what they hailed as a “massive step forward for young people in the UK.”

The European Council, which comprises the leaders of EU member countries, has backed opening up detailed discussions with the UK to determine how many visas would be issued and what conditions they would have.

Britons lost the right to live and work in the EU – so-called “freedom of movement” – and vice versa, after the UK left the bloc. But there have long been calls for a scheme for 18-30 years olds that would allow Brits to work on the continent, and young people from EU countries to come here, for a short period of a few years.

Britain already has similar agreements on youth mobility with 13 separate countries, including Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Iceland, Uruguay, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Most of these are open to 18 to 30-year-olds or 18 to 35-year-olds, depending on where they are from, and allow them to live and work in the UK for up to two years.

But idea of a youth visa deal with the EU has proven controversial, with Labour ministers forced to defend it and deny it’s a return to pre-Brexit style freedom of movement.

Earlier this year Downing Street made clear that anyone coming to the UK as part of a youth mobility scheme with the EU will not be able to access benefits, nor bring family members with them.

It is understood that they would also have to pay an immigration health surcharge to use the NHS.

The council has now adopted plans to open official negotiations with the UK on such a scheme.

Alfred Quantrill, from the Young European Movement UK, said: “The EU deciding to formally start talks on a Youth Experience Scheme is a massive step forward for young people in the UK.

“Young Brits deserve the same chances enjoyed by most of their peers across the continent.

“Whether you call it a Youth Experience Scheme or Mobility Scheme, it amounts to the same – more opportunities for a whole generation of young Brits who have seen their chances of working and studying abroad shrinking for a decade.

“That means rejoining schemes like Erasmus+, but also opening up broader access to apprenticeships, internships, and leisure. While our parents could freely work, study and travel across borders, this generation is trapped by paperwork and high costs. The Youth Experience Scheme is Starmer’s chance to fix this failure.”

The moves comes just days after a poll showed that nearly nine years on from the narrow Brexit referendum result, which led to the UK leaving the union, most Britons want to see the UK return to the EU.

The YouGov poll survey highlighted the extent to which the UK public is “Bregretful” about the outcome of the vote, which ended David Cameron’s term as prime minister.

Postmaster who lost father in Air India crash faces battle with Royal Mail to save business

A village postmaster grieving the loss of his father in the Air India plane crash is facing a battle with Royal Mail to save his business.

Umang Patel has flown out to India to join the hundreds of people who attended the funeral of his father, Kirit, who died when the London-bound flight crashed during takeoff in Ahmedabad last week.

Kirit Patel was on the flight for his annual summer visit to the UK, where he hoped to support his son and his son’s wife, Vaishali, run a Post Office and shop in the Somerset village of Pensford, near Bristol.

But their immense personal loss is not the only battle the family is having to deal with, with a decision by Royal Mail to close a small delivery office in the branch threatening the future of their livelihood.

In April, Umang Patel called on the village for support when he told the local parish council that the post office made up 60 per cent of his income, and without it, the branch would not be viable.

Councillors responded by writing to oppose the closure, arguing it was a “lifeline” for vulnerable residents in the community, with the nearest branch three miles away.

A petition has also been launched, with more than 1,200 people signing it, many after the loss of Mr Patel’s father last week. The family was also the subject of a crowdfunding campaign that raised £11,000 after his death, but they asked for it to be taken down after costs had been met because they “did not want to take advantage”, according to villager Jim Beacham.

Royal Mail confirmed that a plan was in place to shut the small delivery office, with the date for closure understood to be in September.

A spokesperson said: “Our small delivery office within Pensford Post Office is being merged into the New Paulton Delivery Office. Relocating to a larger, dedicated facility will provide better working conditions for our posties and support a more efficient delivery service.

“Residents can be assured that deliveries will continue as normal.”

A Post Office spokesperson said a post office area manager had been working with Mr Patel to help limit the “financial implications” of the move. Ways to grow the business were also being explored, they added.

They said: “We have offered our sincere condolences to Pensford Postmaster, Umang Patel, for the tragic death of his father Kirit Patel in the Air India plane crash. Umang, his wife Vaishali and two sons are much-loved members of the village community. Umang and Vaishali have run a first-class Post Office and shop for more than 10 years and are very popular as demonstrated by the community rallying round to support them at this very difficult time.”

Why the ‘conscience vote’ of MPs had its own assisted death last week

Two votes in the Commons split by four days laid the ground for a seismic shift in British social policy making last week one of the most significant in the modern history of Parliament.

But while the votes on abortion (Tuesday) and assisted dying (Friday) were officially matters of individual conscience the evidence from both suggests that the UK is now closer than ever to a US-style party politicisation of moral issues.

If you vote Labour or Lib Dem you are much more likely to get a pro-choice MP, if you vote Conservative or Reform you are more likely to get a pro-life MP. This is not an accident, it is increasingly by design.

On Tuesday the decriminalisation of abortion up to birth amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill laid down by Labour Gower MP Tonia Antoniazzi won by 379 to 137.

Of this 291 Labour MPs voted in favour and just 25 against while 63 Lib Dems were in favour and just two against.

On the other side 92 Tory MPs voted against and just four in favour. Another four abstained by voting in both lobbies. No Reform MPs supported and four voted against.

The split is not as stark on Friday’s assisted dying vote but nevertheless reveals a trend.

Kim Leadbeater’s bill had the support of 224 fellow Labour MPs with 160 against and 56 Lib Dems with 15 against.

On the other side the Tories split 92 against to 20 in favour while Reform were three against and two in favour.

Kemi Badenoch put a two line whip on the abortion vote rather than allowing a completely free vote. This indicated a party position without the threat of disciplinary action which would come with a three line whip. But, remarkably, after the abortion vote senior Tories were complaining that Ms Badenoch had not withdrawn the whip of the four MPs who voted for decriminalisation.

The last time the UK saw Parliament vote on such seismic social change was back in 1967 with Liberal MP David Steel’s abortion legislation and Labour MP Leo Abse’s Sexual Offences Act which decriminalised homosexuality.

In both those cases parties split down the middle on conscience votes which saw the odd alliance of rightwing Tory MP Enoch Powell and leftwing Labour MP Tony Benn coming together to support legalising homosexuality.

The erosion of the conscience vote in the UK has actually come more from a hardening of positions from progressive leftwing parties in Britain and exacerbated by the so-called culture wars.

In 2012 Ed Miliband imposed a three-line whip on gay marriage on Labour MPs. LGBTQ+ matters ended there as something of individual conscience for the first time.

Then in 2019 former MP Roger Godsiff was dropped as a Labour candidate for supporting parents in his Birmingham constituency who were protesting over primary school children being taught about same-sex relationships.

This year we see Reform UK banning LGBTQ+ flags from county halls where they have taken control of the council and attempting to purge councils of diversity, equity and inclusion officers and policies.

And there is not even a pretence when it comes to trans issues now with Tories and Reform firmly in the anti camp with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch making her gender critical stance part of her political identity.

While abortion officially remained a matter of conscience a comment by the now home secretary Yvette Cooper in 2017 about Jacob Rees-Mogg being unfit to be a party leader because of his views on abortion was enlightening.

What has happened over a number of years is that the majority of socially conservative, mostly Catholic tradition in Labour and evangelical tradition in the Lib Dems have been quietly removed through screening in the selection processes.

An ongoing legal case involving the Liberal Democrats and one of its former candidates has highlighted an apparent major shift in British politics to the party politicisation of conscience issues.

Former BBC journalist David Campanale was kicked out as the candidate for Sutton and Cheam ahead of the last election because, he claims, of his Christian beliefs.

According to documents presented in the case, Luke Taylor, who replaced him as the candidate, is alleged to have claimed that “the party of past prominent Liberal Democrats with Christian beliefs, such as Shirley Williams and Charles Kennedy, was ‘over’, and that he and others were building a ‘secular party’ which would have no place for Christians expecting to “hold to their religious or conscientious opinions”.

Mr Taylor was the teller for the votes in favour of the abortion amendment on Tuesday, who also described the assisted dying vote, which he supported, as a good way to “neatly bookend the week.”

If Mr Campanale wins his case it will for the first time provide evidence that selection is taking place on conscience issues as well as other matters.

The Lib Dems have denied the claims and pointed out that their leader Sir Ed Davey goes to church.

But the Christian Lib Dems including former deputy leader Simon Hughes have voiced concerns and the party has been condemned by two bishops. and a former Archbishop of Canterbury. Added to that Tim Farron, who voted against abortion and assisted dying last week, was ousted as leader over his Christian beliefs in 2017.

During the assisted dying vote a number of supporters of the bill suggested that religious belief had no place in deciding such issues. A real departure from conscience.

But a brand of conservatism is emerging in the UK which openly embraces traditional Christian values.

Reflecting on the assisted dying vote, Tory MP Danny Kruger, a leading opponent of the bill, said: “If we are to withstand our enemies, bring our society together, and tame the technium (somehow ensure that human values govern the new age of machines), we are going to need values that are up to the job.

“I don’t think humanist atheism or progressive liberalism or whatever the new religion should be called, is up to it. Christianity is. Only Christianity is.”

In America, the conscience vote rapidly became more party-politicised as a result of the Roe vs Wade abortion ruling in in 1973. Social conservatives gradually began to take over the Republicans on the right and social progressives the Democrats.

It has played out ferociously in the selection of Supreme Court justices, who recently in effect overturned Roe v Wade with a conservative majority.

The most interesting US development is the way that a man like Donald Trump, previously ambiguous over abortion, has adopted a strong anti-abortion line to please his base.

This played out in the 2022 midterms to the detriment of the Republicans with the Democrats using the threat to abortion rights to great effect. But it did little to help Kamala Harris in 2024.

What that shows though is that parties with very strong views one way or the other can be elected largely on economic grounds but bring with them a great deal of baggage on conscience issues. After this week some would argue the same thing has happened in the opposite direction in the UK.

Self-swab ‘rape kits’ being marketed at students a ‘serious concern’

Rape support groups have expressed “serious concerns” over self-swab ‘rape kits’ being marketed towards university students in the UK.

The kits allow people who have been sexually assaulted or raped to take a swab themselves and send it off to a lab to be tested for the DNA of the alleged perpetrator. Half the sample is frozen and can be kept for up to 20 years and handed to the police if the incident is later reported.

Such kits have been handed out to students on UK university campuses in recent months, with companies saying the kits act as a deterrent and provide a simpler way to report a rape.

However, Rape Crisis England and Wales has warned that although the kits might seem like a good idea, there are concerns about how they work.

It warned survivors that the kits may not be able to collect the evidence needed to prove rape and that any evidence gathered may not be legally admissible – giving them “false hope” that it could help in a legal case.

“Rape Crisis England & Wales (RCEW) are aware that in parts of the country, self-swab ‘rape kits’ are beingmarketed to students and universities as a way for survivors – primarily, but not always, women and girls – to report rape, and to deter rapists,” a statement issued by Rape Crisis said.

“Although a self-swab kit might seem like a good idea, evidence collection needs to be done in a safe and legally compliant way for it to have most use in criminal trials.”

It added: “At-home kits can’t offer that level of protection and may give survivors false hope that any evidence they gather could be relied on in a criminal trial.”

It said this was because professional forensic medical examinations take place in forensically cleaned, controlled environments with strict rules to avoid contamination, making the evidence reliable.

Unlike self-swab kits, they also include assessments of injuries, clothing, blood samples, and other medical findings.

The kits have emerged amid a low rate of convictions for rape, with as many as five in six UK victims choosing not to report a rape at all.

In 2024, 71,227 rapes were recorded by police, but only 2.7 per cent of these had resulted in charges by the end of the year.

Companies selling the kits say they provide survivors with a “simpler, easier way to report and create real deterrence”.

Enough, a company that has handed out free kits at the University of Bristol and also sells them online for £20, says their main aim is to act as a deterrent, not to provide criminal justice.

It told The Independent that 70 per cent of polled students in Bristol said the kits had prevented sexual violence on campus, 90 per cent are aware of the not-for-profit and over 200 reports have been made in just six months.

“Survivors are asking for Enough. The most common question they ask is ‘how does this not already exist?’ They thank Enough for stopping young women being raped.” Katie White, the Enough co-founder said.

Its website says that if a person is seeking to report a rape to the police, they should go to a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) first.

It also says that leading KCs had confirmed DNA evidence collected by its kits – which are made by the same forensic experts that make them for the police – may be admissible at trial, but there are no guarantees of this.

Rape Crisis said while these self swap kits may provide DNA evidence, it is rarely used in rape trials as they cannot prove any activity was non consensual.

Although Enough points people to where they can get further support on its website, Rape Crisis also raised concerns that the kits don’t offer specialist, in-person support: “Survivors need trauma-informed care, reassurance, and to be heard and believed. A self-swab kit can’t provide emotional support or explain next steps, but a trained support worker in a Rape Crisis centre, or an Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) can.”

Rape Crisis is the latest organisation to voice its concern over the kits, after the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine (FFLM) issued a joint statement on the issue last year.

It said it did not currently support the use of self-swab kits, and it could “put survivors at risk” if they did not have the correct information.

Every baby’s DNA to be screened on the NHS under new plans

All babies could have their DNA mapped to test for future illnesses under a plan unveiled by the government, it has been reported.

Labour is set to pour £650m into DNA technology in an effort to treat serious illnesses before they become a problem.

In comments first reported in the Daily Telegraph, health secretary Wes Streeting said new technology in areas such as genomics would help “leapfrog” illnesses.

The outlet says that within a decade every baby will undergo whole genome sequencing as part of the drive.

The investment in genomics is expected to support the government’s 10-year plan for the NHS, which will see a greater focus on technology and prevention.

Mr Streeting said: “The revolution in medical science means that we can transform the NHS over the coming decade, from a service which diagnoses and treats ill health to one that predicts and prevents it.

“Genomics presents us with the opportunity to leapfrog disease, so we’re in front of it rather than reacting to it.”

Mr Streeting has previously spoken about his desire to make the NHS more preventative, reducing rates of serious illness and saving money in the process.

The plan is also likely to see a greater role for artificial intelligence and other technologies to predict illness and allow treatment or medication to be offered much earlier.

He added: “With the power of this new technology, patients will be able to receive personalised healthcare to prevent ill health before symptoms begin, reducing the pressure on NHS services and helping people live longer, healthier lives.”

Along with a greater focus on prevention, the government’s 10-year plan is expected to include Mr Streeting’s two other “shifts” in the NHS.

That will see a shift away from hospitals towards more community-focused care, and from analogue to digital services.

It follows chancellor Rachel Reeves’s announcement that the government would increase NHS funding by £29bn per year in real terms over the next three years as it tries to cut waiting lists in line with its election promises.

What’s the secret to a truly stress-free holiday?

High-end cruising has entered a new era. Today’s luxury travellers aren’t looking for big flashy experiences. They want slow-paced, intimate travel and authentic cultural immersion. More than anything else, they’re looking for ease: that feeling of being genuinely cared for, safe in the knowledge that they’re experiencing the best of the best.

That means excellent quality food and drink, of course – it’s got to be restaurant standard and cater to all tastes – but also onboard enrichment experiences of the highest calibre. The great beauty of cruising has always been that not a second is wasted. Savvy travellers get to explore a rich and rewarding variety of exotic, off-the-beaten track locations, but instead of spending half their holiday stuck in motorway traffic, they’re honing their swing in the golf net, or sipping on a cocktail on the upper deck as they travel from destination to destination.

When they’re onshore they want genuinely immersive experiences that get them under the hood of a destination: think cellar tours of local vineyards or speedboat cruises to hidden beaches. Done right, a high-end all-inclusive cruise is the ideal form of slow travel, offering a perfect balance of adventure and indulgence, proper pampering and a thrilling sense of discovery.

The world’s most luxurious fleet

First among equals when it comes to the new era of luxury cruising is Regent Seven Seas Cruises, which offers more than 170 different itineraries visiting over 550 ports of call worldwide. Each of the six ships in their fleet is opulently appointed with beautifully designed communal areas and a huge array of amenities, but none of them has a capacity of more than 746 guests, ensuring space and freedom for all aboard.

The all-suite accommodation means that the private spaces are similarly roomy, each having a private balcony and marble bathroom. And service is always impeccable with a crew-to-guest ratio that’s nearly one-to-one, meaning that the team can always go that mile extra for all travellers.

Across the ships, the food is uniformly excellent. As well as Regent’s signature Compass Rose restaurant, with its daily changing menu of bistro classics like lobster bisque and New Zealand lamb chops, the different ships also feature a range of speciality dining venues. These include Prime 7, a New York-style steakhouse, Pacific Rim with its pan-Asian menu (be sure to try the miso black cod), and fine-dining destination, Chartreuse, where the chefs turn out sophisticated plates of upscale French cooking like Beef Tenderloin Rossini and Seared Foie Gras.

With a number of long cruises on their roster, Regent has made sure that each of its ships is akin to an ultra-luxury, boutique floating hotel with an incredible variety of things to do during the day and top-level entertainment at night. There are courts for paddle tennis and bocce, and the onboard spa offers a range of exclusive bespoke treatments. The ships host talks by experts in their field and cooking lessons are also available on some of the ships at the culinary arts kitchens where visiting chefs guide guests in how to make wow-factor dishes that relate to the ports of call. In the evening, the Constellation Theatre hosts lavishly staged productions from a team of Broadway choreographers and artists.

Destinations that match the onboard luxury

Of course, none of this onboard luxury would mean much if the destinations weren’t up to scratch, but Regent’s superbly curated itineraries are up there with the very best. Its week-long trips include culture-packed European tours like Glories of Iberia which sails from Barcelona to Lisbon, and thrilling frontier explorations such as the Great Alaskan Adventure from Whittier to Vancouver.

Longer trips include four-week Legendary Journeys from Athens to Montreal, and fully immersive explorations of the Arctic. Long or short, these itineraries are all underpinned by a commitment to taking guests right to the heart of a destination with the kind of bespoke onshore activities and expert-led insights that mean on a Regent Seven Seas Cruises voyage, adventure is guaranteed.

Visit Regent Seven Seas Cruises now to uncover the true meaning of luxury and start booking your ultimate stress-free getaway

How the ‘intimidating’ martini became the most in-demand cocktail

It’s the cocktail you know how to make without even trying one. The one you see glistening on top of glitzy bars in countless films, TV shows, and music videos. The one associated with everyone from Gatsby and Bond to Don Draper and Lucille Bluth to such a degree that it’s practically a character in its own right. It can be wet, dry, clean, or dirty. It is shaken and not stirred: it is, of course, the martini.

For whatever reason, the not-so-humble Hollywood tipple has undergone a somewhat radical transformation in recent years. For a while, it was known as a bit of an elderly choice, a drink favoured at lunchtime by nostalgic boomers and the Queen. But then something shifted and the martini was suddenly everywhere, with London bars reporting a surge in demand as the classic cocktail began infiltrating our Instagram feeds and bar menus in myriad variations.

On TikTok, there are more than 183,000 posts under #martini, with some showcasing people making their own drinks at home. Some are classic gin or vodka martinis; others are fruit-based, pornstar, or espresso martinis. Quirkier bases range from tomatoes, blueberries, and pickles to matcha, chocolate, and lychee. A few are inspired by celebrities (Kris Jenner martini, anyone?), literary icons (the Hemingway martini), and others are, quite frankly, a little too creative: this one has a literal chicken wing in it — it’s made using chicken broth, olives, mayo (I know) and then the wing is used as a garnish.

At Selfridges, sales of a pre-mixed version of the martini have surged by 200 per cent in the last year, with the retailer naming the martini as one of its “obsessions” for this year’s sunnier seasons, creating a bespoke martini window display at its Oxford Street flagship. Meanwhile, bars across London have noticed a major uptick in orders. Take the Tomatini at La Petite Maison, a now-iconic cocktail at the premium Mayfair dining destination that has been spotted in the hands of everyone from Charli XCX to Beyoncé.

“Light, savoury, and effortlessly sippable, it’s made with fresh tomatoes, Ketel One vodka, white balsamic, and a pinch of salt and pepper,” explains Tibor Krascsenics, group beverage director at La Petite Maison. “We’ve seen a clear rise in martini orders across our bars. Guests are more confident and precise, often asking for very dry vodka or gin martinis with a twist. Dirty martinis remain popular, It’s no longer an intimidating drink – it’s stylish, personal, and definitely in fashion.”

At Quaglino’s, where more guests are ordering martinis than ever before, the design of the drink has evolved and become more expansive over time. “We’ve had some fun with them,” says Jonathan Ecca, bar manager at the St James restaurant. “One of our favourites was the Sakura martini, inspired by Japanese flavours. We also tried an Asparagus martini made with Japanese vodka, homemade asparagus vermouth and a pickled white asparagus garnish to finish. It sounds wild, but it worked.”

Other establishments favour more classic varieties. “People love simplicity; they don’t want to over-complicate drinks with too many ingredients that take too long to make,” says Martin Kuczmarski, founder of The Dover, where martinis are one of the restaurant’s staples; around 90 per cent of its diners order one, usually with vodka. “A martini is beautiful to look at, sophisticated, and gives a sense of occasion, showing how people are moving away from overly complicated cocktails and rediscovering the beauty of minimalism,” adds Kuczmarski. “One of the missions of The Dover was to bring back many traditional, and classic elements of hospitality. I didn’t want to follow any trends, and the martini is one of the simplest cocktails that exists. But like with anything simple, it is one of the hardest things to execute well.”

The perfect martini requires a combination of high-quality ingredients, premium glassware, balance, the appropriate garnish according to the drinker’s tastes, and of course, it must also be ice cold. Few know this quite like Alessandro Palazzi, bar manager at Dukes Bar in London, which is arguably the UK’s leading martini destination thanks to its popularity among celebrities, royals, and a mythic social media presence. Frequented by Ian Fleming himself and reportedly the place where Bond’s famous line “shaken, not stirred” was inspired, Dukes has been serving up its signature martinis since 1908, bringing them out on its famous trolley service, adding a theatrical element to the whole experience.

“Lots of people are coming in from social media these days,” says Palazzi, who has been working at Dukes for 18 years, serving everyone from Stanley Tucci to Paul Feig, a close friend who wound up casting the bartender for a cameo in his latest film, Another Simple Favour, in which martinis play a lead role – Dukes is mentioned in the first film by Blake Lively’s character. There’s almost always a queue to get into Dukes, which now serves between 300 and 400 martinis a day. “We spot the social media people right away because as soon as you arrive with the trolley, they take a camera out without asking,” adds Palazzi. “That bothers me a lot.”

The philosophy at Dukes is simple: to inspire others to make their own martinis at home, and to create a warm, discreet environment where the drinks can be sipped and savoured slowly. Famously, the bar won’t serve customers more than two martinis each. “There are five shots of pure alcohol in each glass,” explains Palazzi. “That, combined with the fact that frozen alcohol has a delayed reaction means you can’t digest it right away. So then it stays inside you and you have an explosion if you drink very quickly. Our intention is not to make you drunk but to offer an experience.”

Despite this logical and sensible guidance, the influx of attention on Dukes recently has meant that a few people try to come in and subvert it, trying their luck to order a third martini. “I call them the imbeciles,” says Palazzi. “Usually they’re classic businessmen and city boys who think they have something to prove and can handle more than two martinis.” This kind of bravado will get you nowhere at Dukes, or anywhere else, for that matter.

It’s unclear where the sudden rush for the martini came from. Palazzi suspects it began during the pandemic: “A lot of us were at home, drinking cocktails, or watching videos of celebrities making them,” he says. Dukes was actively posting clips during that time, too, while celebrities like Tucci regularly went viral for his DIY cocktail-making videos on Instagram.

But there’s also something to be said about the martini’s rise and a wider shift in alcohol consumption more generally. Consider the mini martini, an increasingly popular variation of the drink that is, obviously, smaller and more potent. “We also serve a lot of mini martinis,” says Krascenics. “They’re playful one-sip versions that let guests explore multiple styles, from classics to vegetal twists like beetroot or caperberry. It’s our way of making the martini both elegant and fun.” You can now find these minute variations across London, with popular spots like Rita’s, Dishoom, and, up until it closed in April, the Blue Bar at the Berkeley, all downsizing their drinks to cater to more moderation-concerned clientele.

“I think it ties into this wider shift we’re seeing, people are drinking less, but drinking better,” explains Agustina Basilico Miara, beverage manager at Toklas. “They’re looking for quality over quantity, and the martini, when made well, is the perfect example of that. It’s refined, simple, and all about balance and care.” Indeed it is – just don’t drink too many of them at once.

Could Rayner’s squeeze on landlords actually end up hurting renters?

On the face of it, Angela Rayner’s Renters’ Rights Bill has some benefits – not least that Section 21 no-fault eviction notices will be scrapped, giving tenants more security.

But experts are now warning that, as part of Labour’s reforms currently making their way through parliament, landlords would be prevented from relisting their properties as rentals for a year if they try – and fail – to sell up. Which, therefore, also means they’ll have to forgo rent for a year.

Failed sales are not unusual – and with the latest Rightmove stats on the housing market, things are looking especially bleak for homeowners in London and the South East. If they are forced to hold onto their property under these new provisions, not only will they as landlords be out of pocket, we’ll end up with even more empty properties gathering dust.

Right away, you can see the problem: Britain already has too many of those, and this may lead to an even bigger shortage of housing during what the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) describes as “an unprecedented supply and demand crisis”.

Indeed, the organisation puts the number of empty properties in the rental sector at roughly half a million in England alone, using data from the government’s English Housing Survey.

“We are concerned that the government does not recognise the risk that the number of empty homes in the private rented sector may substantially increase if this proposal passes into law,” says Meera Chindooroy, the trade body’s deputy director of campaigns, policy and public affairs.

So, has the government lost the plot? Not quite. I can see the method in Rayner’s apparent madness. Let me explain…

The problem with the private rental market is that the balance between tenant and landlord has been out of whack for too long. The current system, which allows for tenants to be booted out with a couple of months’ notice at the end of a year’s tenancy, can leave them in a horrible jam if the owner decides that it’s time to book a quick profit when the property market gets hot.

Rayner’s policy aim with the bill is to create a situation where this doesn’t happen because most landlords will be professional – in it for the long haul, rather than hobbyists who buy themselves a flat or two to fatten up their pensions.

The relisting ban is an explicit attempt to make landlords think very carefully before putting their properties on the market. It makes that option a risky move for them.

Other provisions included in the bill that the NRLA describes as “the biggest change to renting in over 30 years” include a protected 12 months at the start of a tenancy, where a landlord will be barred from evicting a tenant for the purposes of selling.

As also mentioned, there will be the abolition of Section 21 notices, better known as “no-fault” evictions. A national database for the private rented sector will be created, and there will be an ombudsman to handle disputes. Landlords will no longer be able to discriminate against families or benefit recipients, nor will they be able to create bidding wars.

Some of these policies were first mooted by Michael Gove when housing was part of his portfolio. And while the current chancellor, Rachel Reeves, introduced a 5 per cent “second home” stamp duty surcharge, the drive to professionalise the sector began with former Tory chancellor George Osborne.

He restricted the tax relief residential landlords could claim on mortgage interest payments to the basic rate of 20 per cent. These measures ramped up costs for the small fry and many left the market as a result.

As you can see, there has been a degree of cross-party consensus on the need for reforms aimed at improving life for private sector tenants, who are often left feeling as if they’re lost in a swamp with no map and no mobile phone reception.

As a package, the reforms should, in theory, improve life for them. If an owner is in it for the long term, the renter can make a home of their tenancy, as often happens on the continent. Needless to say, a long-term tenant could also improve life for the landlord, because they will likely be more inclined to look after the place (if you’ve ever been house-hunting, the ex-rentals stand out – and not in a good way).

However, at this point, I feel obliged to trot out one of those old sayings: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” You don’t help renters if you end up with fewer properties on the market. Constricting supply will inevitably add rocket fuel to rental prices, which are already too high.

According to the quarterly tracker by Rightmove, the average advertised rent of homes outside of London rose to a record £1,349 in the first three months of the year. London, meanwhile, recorded its 14th consecutive record, with monthly rents increasing to £2,698.

It is true that Rightmove noted a welcome increase in supply, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a shortage overall.

There are some good things in Rayner’s reform package. But facts are facts and markets are markets – and if she squeezes landlords too hard, she will hurt the market and end up squeezing tenants – the last thing anyone wants, least of all her.

Banning rents for a year after a failed attempt to sell is a measure that demands a rethink, however well intentioned.