Green leader Zack Polanski calls for three-year rent freeze at conference

Green Party leader Zack Polanski used his party's annual conference in Brighton to call for an emergency brake on private rents, including a three-year freeze on rent increases. The policy would stop rents rising by more than CPI, wage growth or 2%, whichever is lower. It would also aim to block sudden hikes and evictions used as a cover for rent rises.

Speaking to party members, Polanski said the cost of private renting was scandalous. He argued landlords had been able to push rents above wages, leaving tenants cutting back on everything else to keep a roof over their heads. He said the measure was the first vital step to ending the runaway cost of housing, and promised no more uncertainty or fear for renters.

Deputy leader Rachel Millward said secure and stable housing was essential to a healthy life. She said rent controls work well in other parts of Europe and should be brought in now as an emergency measure, warning that bills are set to rise three or four times over autumn and winter. Baroness Jenny Jones said the policy would mean private rents could not go up for three years. She rejected warnings from the Institute for Fiscal Studies that rent controls could lead landlords to sell up and reduce supply. She cited the 1977 Rent Controls Act as evidence such measures can work, and argued the rental market had become uncompetitive and rents were far too high.

In his speech, Polanski also attacked Labour. He said Labour was not going far enough on the issues that matter and singled out Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds for saying economists do not support rent controls, calling that absurd. He said the Greens had kept Labour's worst instincts in check and used the phrase vote Green watch Labour move. He also opposed new North Sea oil and gas drilling, saying it would not bring down bills, would not make the country more secure, and would lock the UK into a hotter and more dangerous climate. He called for a clean energy revolution now.

The conference comes after a year of growth for the Greens. The party won a Westminster by-election, returned a record fifth MP, made gains in the May local elections and saw its membership surge. But its polling has slipped from a high of around 17% to around 10% or 11% as Labour under Andy Burnham has gained support. Commentators said Polanski had cut through to younger voters and forced Labour to move left, but the party now faces a fight to keep that momentum. A Green candidate beaten by Burnham in the Makerfield by-election said Labour was making commitments but not delivering, and argued that pressure from the Greens had pushed Labour left.

The largest ever Green Party conference has also been overshadowed by a controversial motion arguing that Zionism is racism. Leaflets promoting the motion were handed out as members arrived. The party's co-deputy leader said she would not vote for it in its current form, warning that many Jewish people would find it uncomfortable. She said the motion's definition of Zionism referred to the actions of Netanyahu's Israel, but that this was not how it would be widely understood. She added that the party should focus on stopping the government being complicit in what she called abhorrent war crimes. Israel denies committing war crimes.