Angela Rayner has explicitly ruled out introducing rent controls in England, closing the door on one of the most contentious policy options that has hung over the private rented sector since Labour took office. The Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary confirmed that the government will not follow the path taken in Scotland, where rent caps were introduced in 2022 before being partially unwound, nor mirror calls from London Mayor Sadiq Khan for similar powers in the capital. For a private rented sector housing roughly 4.6 million households and worth an estimated £1 trillion in underlying property value, this is a significant signal — but not one that should be mistaken for a return to business as usual.