Senior Tories and big landlords discuss ways to thwart renters’ rights bill

Exclusive: Meeting hosted by shadow housing minister for estate agents and landlords prompted accusations of collusion

Senior Tories have held private talks with big landlords about how to thwart the government’s renters’ rights bill, the Guardian has learned, with ideas including launching a legal challenge under human rights law.

Jane Scott, the shadow housing minister, recently hosted a roundtable meeting with several of the country’s largest landlords and estate agents, at which they discussed a number of ways to delay or stop the bill altogether. The ideas included challenging it in the courts and delaying it with repeated rounds of Lords amendments, according to three people in attendance.