LABOUR’S candidate for Christchurch has hit out at MP Chris Chope for ‘talking out’ a proposed bill on so-called ‘revenge evictions’.

A bill proposed by Liberal Democrat Sarah Teather, with cross-party backing, ran out of time in Parliament after Conservative MP Philip Davies spoke for an hour, followed by a lengthy speech by Mr Chope.

The legislation on ‘revenge evictions’ could still have passed if a motion to put it to the vote had been passed with a majority of 100, but only 60 MPs turned up to support the move.

Mr Chope’s action attracted furious criticism from housing campaigners and on Twitter.

Andrew Satherley, Labour’s Parliamentary Christchurch candidate, described it as “a disgraceful failure of Mr Chope to recognise a growing and preventable problem for private tenants in this country”.

“I am very sad that Chris Chope could not support this bill, and I challenge him to justify his actions to the people of Christchurch.

“I believe that all tenants in the private sector, from hard-working families to pensioners, deserve better from our Parliament.

“I believe that our political system deserves better than to have a good piece of legislation that is supported by all the parties failing to reach a vote due to time wasting, and I believe the voters of Christchurch deserve better from their MP.”