Conservatives are urging Labour leader Keir Starmer to sack chancellor Rachel Reeves after claims she inadvertently rented out a south London property without the specific licence required by the council. A Tory spokesperson accused Reeves of breaching the law and the ministerial code and said Starmer was too weak to remove her.
What happened
– The Daily Mail reported that Reeves’s letting did not have the council licence Southwark requires for certain private rentals. Reeves apologised and her team said the letting agency had told her a licence was not needed.
– Downing Street published an exchange of letters between Starmer and Reeves and said Starmer had consulted the independent adviser on ministerial standards, Sir Laurie Magnus. On his advice — given Reeves’s apology and her willingness to remedy the situation — No 10 said no further action was necessary.
Conservative response
– Kemi Badenoch and shadow chancellor Mel Stride held a press event on the South Bank in London. Badenoch accused the chancellor of breaking the law and argued that if Reeves raises taxes in the upcoming budget she should be sacked.
– Badenoch highlighted a previous tweet from Reeves endorsing selective licensing in Leeds and suggested it was hard to believe the chancellor did not know about licensing rules for landlords. She also compared the case to other ministers who have resigned after finding to have breached rules.
– A Conservative spokesperson said it was “one rule for the chancellor and another for everyone else,” and called for Starmer to “grow a backbone” and dismiss Reeves.
Labour and No 10 position
– Reeves apologised for the error and said she would rectify the situation. No 10 framed the matter as settled quickly through established ethical channels and defended the decision not to take further action after the adviser’s guidance.
Context and political debate
– The episode has fuelled accusations of double standards. Critics point to past cases where ministers resigned or were disciplined after failing to comply with rules; supporters of Reeves counter that the ethics adviser’s conclusion — and her prompt apology and corrective steps — justify no further sanction.
– Badenoch and other Conservatives have combined criticism of the licence issue with a separate attack on Reeves’s economic plans: she has warned the chancellor must not increase taxes, and Tories say any tax rises in the budget would be grounds for dismissal. Observers noted the oddity of pressing both for an immediate resignation over the licence matter and for a further, hypothetical sacking tied to future policy decisions.
Official chronology and practicalities
– No 10’s rapid publication of letters between Starmer and Reeves came before some papers’ final editions, prompting comment about how quickly the government’s ethical process moved once the story broke.
– Southwark council treats failure to hold the required licence as a criminal offence in some circumstances. Reeves’s team says the letting agent had advised a licence was unnecessary; she has apologised and committed to put matters right.
Day’s agenda (highlights)
– Morning: John Swinney and Rhun ap Iorwerth meet in Edinburgh to discuss a joint approach to Westminster policy.
– 9.00am: Kemi Badenoch and Mel Stride hold a Conservative press conference in London.
– 9.30am: Business secretary Peter Kyle takes questions in the Commons; the Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly prison figures.
– 11.30am: Downing Street lobby briefing.
The story remains live. With political opponents pressing for further action and a media environment inclined to scrutinise such controversies closely, it is likely the debate over whether the chancellor’s mistake warrants disciplinary measures will continue in the coming days.
