The bill would establish a system of binding arbitration to resolve outstanding commercial rent debt accrued during the coronavirus pandemic. This briefing considers: the background to the bill; what it would do; what happened during its passage through the House of Commons; and plans to debate it in the House of Lords.
Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (354 KB , PDF)
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Government has required non‑essential businesses to close at various times since March 2020. As a result, many businesses have lost income and experienced problems paying their rent. HM Treasury has estimated that by March 2022 rent arrears could total around £9bn, although it expects the actual figure to be lower. Pubs and bars, restaurants, clothing retailers and hotels are thought to owe the most.
In November 2021, the Government announced new legislation to resolve these remaining commercial rent debts. The subsequent Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill is formed of 29 clauses, split into four parts. It includes provisions that would:
The bill has completed its passage through the House of Commons. Labour supported the bill but argued the Government should give further support to businesses by, for example, reforming business rates. Labour tabled amendments during both public bill committee stage and report stage. However, none were successful, and only one was pushed to a division.
Government amendments were added to the bill without division at report stage. The majority were minor and technical, however, some removed a clause from the bill which would have given a Northern Ireland department the power to make regulations for purposes corresponding to the bill. The Government explained that it had made these amendments at the request of the Northern Ireland Department of Finance and Department of Economy.
The Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill was introduced in the House of Lords on 13 January 2022. Under a new procedure, should the Government receive approval from the House, the bill will be considered in Grand Committee on 27 January 2022 before it receives its second reading, which will take place without debate.
Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (354 KB , PDF)
In the autumn budget the chancellor announced changes to inheritance tax reliefs. From April 2026, taxes would apply to agricultural assets over £1mn (or up to £3mn in certain circumstances). The government has said this would just affect the wealthiest landowners and disincentivise buying agricultural land to avoid tax. Farming groups have argued the policy is a threat to the future of family farming and the UK's food security.
The government recently announced an independent review of physician and anaesthesia associates to be led by Professor Gillian Leng. This announcement followed a debate about the use of the roles in the NHS and concerns raised by some stakeholders about patient safety. The review has been widely welcomed by stakeholders as a way to move the debate forward.
Reported retail crime has increased significantly in recent years. This criminal activity, encompassing offences such as shoplifting and assaults on retail workers, has impacted businesses, their employees and local economies. The government has outlined plans to tackle retail crime in response to this issue. This includes legislating to create a new specific offence of assaulting a retail worker and to remove the threshold on so-called “low-value” shoplifting offences.
