UNIONS joined campaign groups and think tanks today to demand Angela Rayner introduce rent caps to tackle the housing crisis.

Leaders of Unison, the NEU, RMT and CWU were among the signatories calling for urgent controls and a major investment in public housing in an open letter to the housing secretary and deputy PM co-ordinated by the London Renters Union.

The average rent across Britain has risen by 8.4 per cent to £1,286 per month over the past 12 months.