Angela Rayner has been criticized after accepting a £20,000 speaking fee from Propertymark. About 20 members of the London Renters Union gathered outside the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government at 8:30am yesterday morning to present a novelty £20,001 cheque to Angela Rayner.

The protest targeted her acceptance of a £20,000 speaking fee from Propertymark, at a conference on 12 June, criticizing the government over a perceived retreat from implementing rent controls.

The London Renters Union said it was “outbidding” the property industry for Rayner’s attention and urged her to meet renters and consider the case for rent controls.

Rayner was paid £20,000 for a two-hour speaking engagement at Propertymark’s event, before she was reappointed housing secretary on 20 July. Four days later, she ruled out rent controls, saying she did not believe freezes or controls were the answer to rising rents.

Propertymark has previously campaigned against rent controls and lobbied against a rent freeze when it was reported that Rachel Reeves was considering the measure earlier this year.

Rayner had backed stronger protections for private renters, including a ban on no-fault evictions and unreasonable rent increases. But shortly after returning as housing secretary, she said she did not think that “rent freezes, rent controls, are a way forward at the moment”.

When the Renters’ Rights Act came into force in May it limited increases to once a year and allowed tenants to challenge above-market rises but it did not introduce a general rent cap.

Jae Vail, a campaigner for the London Renters Union, said the group was not alleging that Rayner had broken any rules, but that the payment raised political questions. Vail added: “During a cost-of-living crisis, Rayner has questions to answer about where her allegiances lie — with the estate agents, landlords and corporate developers, or with renters struggling with an ever-worsening affordability crisis.”

Nathan Emerson

Propertymark said speaker fees were part of the cost of running its annual conference and that Rayner was invited because of her role in decisions affecting the property sector, adding that she was not a minister at the time.

Nathan Emerson, Propertymark’s chief executive, said: “There was no indication or expectation that she would subsequently return to government. Her invitation was based solely on her experience and significant role in the development of the Renters’ Rights Bill, and the valuable insight she could provide to property professionals seeking to understand the policy rationale and practical implications.

“While the reforms introduce greater requirements and restrictions for landlords, she was able to set out clearly why those measures had been taken and how property professionals could support stronger protections for renters.”

The Renters’ Rights Act abolished no-fault evictions and introduced new protections for tenants but there was no general cap on rents.

A spokesperson for Rayner said: “All earnings have been declared in line with the rules.”