New shame for Keir Starmer’s Government: its Finance Minister, Rachel Reeves, had to apologize on Wednesday night after failing to comply with a legal obligation for the rental of her house in London, in the midst of a storm over the budget that she must present at the end of November.
The Prime Minister immediately reiterated his support and considered, following the advice of his independent ethics advisor, that an investigation was not necessary.
Background: Rachel Reeves, following the election of the Labor Party in 2024 and her appointment as Chancellor of the Exchequer, rented her family home in Dulwich, south London, for around £3,200 a month (€3,630) in the summer of 2024.
The problem When he rented this property he had not obtained the “selective licence” required by Southwark Council for properties rented in this specific area and which amounts to £945 (€1,070). This type of license is mandatory in certain districts for all private landlords.
Rachel Reeves admitted that this was an “inadvertent error”, stating that she had not been informed that this type of license was necessary, and that she had applied for it as soon as she became aware of the oversight. He reported to Keir Starmer, as well as the independent adviser on ministerial standards and the Parliamentary Standards Committee.
“I sincerely apologize.”
The Prime Minister argued that his minister had rushed – as soon as she became aware of this legal obligation, which only applies to certain areas of south London – to apply for the missing licence.
In her letter of apology to the Prime Minister released to the media overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, Rachel Reeves stated that it was an “inadvertent error. As soon as I was told about it, we immediately applied for the licence.” Before adding: “I sincerely apologize for this mistake.”
However, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for a “full investigation.”
If Keir Starmer considers that the matter is now “closed”, it adds to an almost uninterrupted series of embarrassing revelations for his government. At the beginning of September, his deputy prime minister and Minister of Housing, Angela Rayner, had already had to resign due to a fiscal “error.”
A few days later, he had to fire his ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, overcome by his friendship with the American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
And the days are rare when the Labor government, which came to power in July 2024, is not in the crosshairs for its management of immigrants. Last weekend, Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party, which was leading in the polls, took pride in the mistaken release of an Ethiopian asylum seeker arrested for sexual assault.
Arrested, the man was deported to Ethiopia, in exchange for a payment of 500 pounds denounced by the opposition.
The Rachel Reeves case comes at the worst time, as the British media continues to speculate about unpopular measures she could announce during the budget presentation on November 26. In particular, possible tax increases for workers – despite the government’s promise to the contrary – to absorb a multi-billion hole in public finances.
Source: BFM TV
