Newbury MP hits back at "deeply inaccurate" national article on raising rent prices

The article, published on the front page of Monday’s Daily Mirror, claims that Mr Benyon’s family business is part of a consortium that has purchased flats on the New Era Estate in Hoxton.
The paper claims that the consortium immediately raised rent prices and plans to increase them again, reporting that families are fearing eviction as a result. Now, anarchist group Class War says it intends to march through Newbury in protest.
But Mr Benyon told the Newbury Weekly News the article was “deeply inaccurate”, adding that it had had a “big impact" on himself and his family.
Speaking yesterday (Weds) he said: “The Mirror article is grossly unfair. My family business are a very small share holder in a company who are renovating flats which are in an appalling condition.
“My brother (Edward), who runs the business, has sought to work with tenants, the majority of whom he has spoken to in person.
“My family have been active in the property market in that part of London for a great many years and are good landlords and it is totally wrong to try and portray us in the way they (Daily Mirror) did.
“Anybody who knows me and knows my family knows I am a responsible landlord in this part of the world and across England and that the portrayal by the Daily Mirror was deeply inaccurate and politically motivated.
“I have a thick skin and know how politics works and how gutter newspapers like to portray certain issues, but it has had a real impact on me and the members of my family.”
The Mirror article was even brought to the attention of Prime Minister David Cameron by Hackney North and Stoke Newington’s Labour MP Diane Abbott at the Prime Ministers Question time yesterday (Weds).
Ms Abbott said: “Families in Hackney face seeing their rents driven up, eviction and being put on the street. Are the activities of the firm of the hon. Member for Newbury the Prime Minister’s idea of compassionate Conservatism?”
To which the Prime Minister replied: “We need more house building and more houses being provided. We will then see more affordable rents in the social sector and in the private sector.”
Mr Benyon who previously described the Mirror article as being “selective with the facts” is a director of his family’s Englefield Estate, which owns land across the country.
Among the estate’s property portfolio is Benyon Estates, based in London, which is now a minority shareholding in the New Era Estate.
It is not the first time the Daily Mirror has attacked Mr Benyon and his involvement within his family’s estate.
Earlier this year, Mr Benyon slammed an article published in the paper which incorrectly claimed the Englefield Estate received £625,964 a year in housing benefit payments.
Mr Benyon accused the article, which was published based on incorrect figures provided by West Berkshire Council of “dragging his family’s name through the gutter.”
The council were later forced to apologise after it was revealed that it supplied an incorrect figure and that the correct figure was £119,237.
The most recent claims made by the Daily Mirror have angered one anarchist group - called The Class War Party - so much so that it claims it will travel to West Berkshire later this month to hold a demonstration against Mr Benyon.
The party is planing to march from Newbury train station before moving on to the Englefield Village Fayre on July 26.
It also announced its intentions to stand one of the tenants from the New Era Estate against Mr Benyon in the 2015 Newbury general election.