With respect to Ed he did NOT start the ball rolling. The Sun has been actually banging on about it for years, as have a number of MPs including Paul Maynard (Blackpool North and Cleveleys) (Con), whose constituency I visited earlier this year and which is the the second most deprived Conservative constituency in the country.
See debate from 2015:-
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmhansrd/cm150714/halltext/150714h0001.htm
I am sure that Charlotte agrees that rent-to-buy at astronomical interest rates should be opposed by politicians of ALL persuasions, though having looked at the FCA regulations on Pay Day Loans will appreciate that legislation is neither a simple matter nor a panacea.
Perhaps we could all do our bit locally by supporting our local Citizens Advice Bureaux who deal with the fallout from such usurious trading and if we have a few spare pounds keeping it in a Credit Union which grant loans at much lower interest rates (I know the rate of return on investment is low but interest rates are stupidly low anyway and hey ho you can't take it with you)