One of the parliamentary tactics beloved of both the Tories and Labour is to use Commons votes to position their opponents on the wrong side of wedge issues. Rather than merely stating that “Labour opposes our benefit cap” or “the Tories oppose our energy price freeze”, they are able to declare that they actively voted against it.
On the local election campaign trail, Ed Miliband has just revealed his latest gambit. Labour will stage a vote next week on its recently announced proposal to ban letting agent fees for tenants (which the party estimates would save the average household £350). It will do so by tabling an amendment to the Consumer Rights Bill on Tuesday.
Labour also intends to use the vote to highlight the legislative inertia of what it has dubbed Cameron’s “zombie government“.
Miliband said in his speech last week:
When you’re buying a home, the estate agent doesn’t charge you fees.
But those who rent are given no such protection.
They get charged up to £500 just for signing a tenancy agreement.
Even if the letting agents are charging the landlord for the same thing too.
A Labour government will ban letting agents from charging tenants.
After his attack on the Tories at yesterday’s PMQs (“Why has the Conservative Party given up on the millions of people who are Generation Rent?”), this is another attempt by Miliband to trap the coalition on the wrong side of the debate. How or whether the government avoids the trap remains to be seen.
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