Section 21 Abolished?

Is this the last we will see of the Section 21?

The State Opening of Parliament will take place on Tuesday May 11, with many expecting this to be when the government confirms its Renters Reform Bill is to enter the Commons on the road to becoming law.

The Queen’s Speech will set out the government’s agenda for the next session - there has been widespread expectation that this will include the controversial Bill, which will scrap the power of landlords to execute Section 21 evictions, and will apparently beef up Section 8 powers in return.

The Bill is also expected to outline the government thinking on so-called ‘lifetime rental passports’ whereby deposits can be shifted from one property to another, making it easier for renters to move home.

So far it has not been confirmed that the Renters Reform Bill - first mooted back in 2019 - will be part of the government’s agenda, but it is known that the Queen’s Speech will confirm the continuation of a number of bills carrying over from this parliamentary year, including the controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, the Environment Bill and the Armed Forces Bill.

The government has also already confirmed it will introduce legislation to improve the building safety regulatory regime, reform the asylum system and to repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act.

In light of the pandemic it is expected that the May 11 State Opening will be adapted, with reduced ceremonial elements and attendees to ensure it is Covid-secure.

As is usual, the current session of Parliament will be prorogued ahead of the Queen’s Speech and this time will be used to enable logistical and security preparations for the State Opening of Parliament.

A No10 spokesperson says: “While we are still in the middle of a pandemic this Queen’s Speech will look quite different, but it is important we take forward our plans and deliver policies to improve the lives of people across the country through a new Parliamentary session.”