No 10 refuses to say it has seen evidence to show Reeves did not break ministerial code | Rachel Reeves
Downing Street has refused to say whether it has seen any evidence to support the claim that Keir Starmer’s ministerial management adviser made an “inadvertent” mistake in failing to obtain a license to rent Rachel Reeves’ south London home.
As pressure mounted on the chancellor, No 10 also refused to comment on whether Reeves had broken the law, despite the prime minister saying he should apologize and put the matter to rest. ministry code or had broken the law by breaching Southwark council rules.
Reeves, who exchanged letters with Starmer late on Wednesday, said that when he rented the house he was not told by the letting agency that houses in that area required a £945 license before being let.
In his response, Starmer said that after consulting his independent adviser on ministerial interests, Laurie Magnus, he was satisfied that the breach was “unintentional” and that an apology was sufficient given that he took immediate action when he learned of the licence.
Pressed repeatedly at a media briefing about whether Magnus had seen any evidence to support Reeves’ case or taken the chancellor at his word, a Downing Street spokesman refused to say, stating that Magnus’s advice had always been confidential.
“The Chancellor has rightly acted urgently on this matter,” he said. “He explained that this was an inadvertent mistake and took immediate action as soon as he was notified, applying for a license and consulting with independent counsel on ministerial standards.
“He informed the Prime Minister of this matter at the earliest opportunity and at that point immediately sought advice from independent counsel, who advised that no further investigation was necessary in light of the chancellor’s immediate action to rectify the situation, including his apology. Ministerial code makes clear that in certain circumstances an apology is a sufficient remedy.”
When asked what evidence Magnus had seen, the spokesman repeated the same lines several more times.
Asked by a reporter whether Magnus “made a move too quickly with the prime minister to avoid disrupting the markets”, the spokesman said: “I don’t accept the framing of that at all.” He added that Magnus’ role is independent.
Responding to other questions, the spokesman declined to say whether Reeves’ actions were considered a violation of departmental rules or whether he had broken the law.
However, he also stated that Reeves would lose his job if he was found to have broken the law. Asked if he stood by Boris Johnson’s argument following his fine for breaking Covid rules that “lawbreakers cannot be legislators”, Starmer said: “Yes.”
Reeves’ mistake 10 days ago was even more disturbing. He tweeted praise. It is the same policy he ran afoul of in Southwark, as he expanded the selective landlord licensing policy for Leeds council, where his constituency is based.
Speaking earlier on Thursday, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said it was up to Reeves to complete the necessary paperwork and that he should be sacked if he broke any laws.
“I think the more I hear about the story, the more questions that arise to be answered,” the Conservative leader told reporters after a speech on London’s South Bank.
Badenoch said the licensing rules stemmed from a law passed by the Labor Party in 2004, adding that Reeves “tweeted about how this law should be extended, but he did not follow it.”
Badenoch said: “It’s perfectly fair to blame someone else; either the letting agent didn’t do it or he’s the chancellor. He needs to be on top of the paperwork. He was aware of this legislation. I think there needs to be an investigation.”
“But the bottom line is Keir Starmer has said time and time again that those who break the law should not be legislators. So if the woman is breaking the law then Keir Starmer should apply his own rules to her.”
After first being exposed by the Daily Mail, Reeves admitted that he had rented out his home after moving to Downing Street after the election without the license required by Southwark.
A spokesman said the Chancellor used a letting agency to manage the process and while he should have been aware of the requirement to purchase the licence, he was not notified that he needed the licence.
A spokesman for Reeves said: “He was not informed of the licensing requirement, but as soon as he was notified he took immediate action and applied for a licence.”
The four-bedroom detached house was advertised as being rented for £3,200 a month last year, and Reeves has recorded rental income on his register of parliamentary interests since September 2024, the Daily Mail and BBC reported.
But the debate could be a gift to Badenoch and other opposition politicians who are already targeting Reeves ahead of next month’s budget.
Badenoch told reporters in London, where he and shadow chancellor Mel Stride are based, that Reeves should be sacked if he tries to raise taxes in the budget.
