Keir Starmer reassured Rachel Reeves that no further action would be taken regarding her unintentional oversight in obtaining a rental license. Although it was deemed regrettable that initial emails discussing the arrangement were not shared with Starmer, he confirmed that no punitive measures would be pursued.
Reeves had previously acknowledged her mistake of failing to comply with local council housing regulations by not securing a “selective” rental license for her family property. She later disclosed emails exchanged between her husband and the agency, revealing an agreement with Harvey & Wheeler to apply for the license. Reeves took full responsibility for the oversight and expressed her apologies to the Prime Minister.
In a letter to Starmer, Reeves stated that the letting agency and her husband had confirmed correspondence indicating the need for a selective license, though the application was not progressed due to staff changes at the agency. She accepted responsibility for the oversight and apologized for not bringing it to Starmer’s attention earlier.
The Prime Minister, after reviewing the situation, considered it an inadvertent failure to obtain the necessary license, for which Reeves had apologized and was now rectifying. The Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards concurred with the Prime Minister’s decision, stating that no further action was required.
Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister’s independent standards adviser, affirmed that Reeves’ error was unintentional and found no evidence of malicious intent in her conflicting statements about her awareness of the license requirement. Magnus clarified that despite initial confusion, subsequent emails revealed that Reeves’ husband had been informed of the license need in 2024.
Starmer, following consultation with his ethics adviser, decided not to initiate an investigation, expressing satisfaction that the matter could be resolved. The Prime Minister reiterated his confidence in Reeves and confirmed her responsibility to deliver the Budget on November 26.
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