Rachel Reeves let out house unlawfully

Nothing to see here says Starmer. Same as he said when Rayner was found to be lying. They’re a despicable group of people.

MP's Register of Interests August 2025- showed that 83 MPs are currently landlords. It is a fact that most PMs and chancellors rent out their homes as they move into Downing Street. It is also a fact that others have a constituency home and private home and claim expenses. All matters that the public needs to be assured of is above board and value for money.

I don't think the current MP's Register of Interests requires MPs to list the homes they own in their or joint names and in which is their prime residence and the number of properties they rent out. I think it should for transparency. After all the legal deeds of homes and names are publicly available on the Land Registry site so I do not think it is a stretch to expect a public serving MP to list all property transactions and ownership in the MP' s register of Interests.

Then I would suggest that all MPs, ie both landlords and homeowners, be required to make an ANNUAL declaration on the MP register of Interests that they have, in year to date and will continue to do so, comply will all property laws and regulations in respect of their rental dealings and house sale/purchase dealings. As they sign the declaration that gives them an annual reminder and opportunity to check with letting agents, tax advisors etc all continues to be in order, ie appropriate taxes paid, appropriate licences requested etc.

Further, for those MP landlords that filter their rental income via Ltd companies ( Nigel Farage being one well documented example) to reduce their tax liabilities, that they must be required at the same time to annually declare amount of tax saved as a result. ( Personally I would like to see MPs make their annual tax returns public but that is a whole new thread I guess)

Further that MPs have an obligation to refer themselves to the Independent Advisor of Ministerial Standards and the Standards Commissioner AS SOON as the concern is raised for investigation so the matter can be appropriately and fully investigated and the facts made known. Why hasn't Farage done this to date?

This should cut down on political game playing, focus the minds and consciences of all party MPs, not just incumbent MPs for opponents seeking resignation, and make everything more transparent to the public.

I meant to say MPs are ONLY required to list the number of properties they rent out....

Thank you LemonJam.

Loved the suggested that Farage would ever put himself forward for scrutiny.
Publicity...yes...legal scrutiny... how dare you suggest that.

It's not her fault" And as soon as it was revealed she made an application - at 1130pm at night! She says her letting agent didn't inform her she needed a licence so I'm waiting to hear from them that the told her she did need one - just as Rayner's solicitors told her she needed to pay Stamp Duty on her third home.

Indeed orly.

Sir Keir Starmer is facing calls to launch a “full investigation” after Rachel Reeves admitted she broke a legal housing requirement when she put her family home up for rent.

Why does he need to investigate it?
She’s admitted it and apologised for it, which seems to be the way for ministers to do things.

She applied for a licence yesterday, wrote a letter of apology to Keir Starmer about her oversight, Sir Laurie Magnus , the ethics advisor, was asked to make a judgement round about midnight; he didn't consider she had breached the ministerial code, so KS accepted the apology, so that's all right then.
Apparently he needs her in place, because the incident in Parliament when she was weeping unsettled the market, and he, and the rest of the country , can't risk that again.

Just the small matter that these licences to rent property were required in Leeds, her constituency, and she did know about them.
Although I have some slight sympathy for her, she is the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and she is not proving a success in her job.

I'd have trusted the agent's advice.

MaizieD

Has it occurred to anyone that it might have been Reeves' husband who dealt with letting their house?

Doesn't make any difference. They are both members of the same household and in any situationwhen one of the responsible adults in a household may have special circumstances surrounding their job the other adults should be completely up to speed on this and know when things need to be drawn to their attention, or passed through checking procedures.

I’m sure she didn’t do it intentionally, but it was incompetent.

She didn’t do what a landlord is required to do

It speaks to her competency to make informed decisions.

When I let my little house I read every clause of the contract and asked questions about things I wasn’t sure of. I wrote additional clauses and clarifying statements on the contract to be included.

When I have been involved in signing contracts[cant all all see why she wouldnt be a signature on her own house], I refer to people I know, who go through things with us to check if all is watertight.

Chancellot of the Exchequor does not. By the looks of things.
Nor AR.
As if neither of the dont have people they can check and ask!

And posters are happy that their leaders dont do what a lot of ordinary people do.
Hmm.

'storm in a teacup' but it's the size of the wooden spoons that matter.

At least two typos in that.

at all not all all

and, them not the

I may be wrong, but I don't think any of us on Gransnet has had the experience of handling a huge and responsible job with the opposition and the media making every effort to find ways of smearing them.
Both Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves (or their staff) have committed sins of omission, mistakes which they amended.
I find it distasteful the way people on this site jump on the bandwagon of reports in newspapers like the Daily Mail. Owners of those papers seek to make money by appealing to their readers' desire for metaphorical blood.

^Owners of those papers seek to make money by appealing to their readers' desire for metaphorical blood.

^

Well , they do more than that.
They actually seek and find the dirt.
It was the DM that found all this out. As I understand things.

Naw, don't think you're wrong Romolo.

Romola

I may be wrong, but I don't think any of us on Gransnet has had the experience of handling a huge and responsible job with the opposition and the media making every effort to find ways of smearing them.
Both Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves (or their staff) have committed sins of omission, mistakes which they amended.
I find it distasteful the way people on this site jump on the bandwagon of reports in newspapers like the Daily Mail. Owners of those papers seek to make money by appealing to their readers' desire for metaphorical blood.

Could not agree more. How many of us when employed, raising children and chasing our tails have not missed an insurance date, an expired passport , missed appointment or whatever.
Surely there are far more important issues to address.

We can.
MPs cant.

Nor others in very high office.

She has referred herself to the committee apparently, however I saw this discussed on tv this morning and Gove actually defended her and said it's an easy mistake to make and she deserves the benefit of the doubt in this case. Starmer has decided not to take it any further.

Romola Thu 30-Oct-25 15:13:25
"I may be wrong, but I don't think any of us on Gransnet has had the experience of handling a huge and responsible job with the opposition and the media making every effort to find ways of smearing them.
Both Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves (or their staff) have committed sins of omission, mistakes which they amended.
I find it distasteful the way people on this site jump on the bandwagon of reports in newspapers like the Daily Mail. Owners of those papers seek to make money by appealing to their readers' desire for metaphorical blood".

Absolutely Romola 👏 👏, plus after weeks of long hours campaigning for your party, you then win the election and up till the early hours of the morning until the results roll in- you are jubilant but dog tired.

Then within n to many more hours you're sitting in Downing Street at your first cabinet meeting. You're the first female Chancellor the country has had and all eyes of the press are on you. The public expects you to perform immediately and deliver against your manifesto promises asap. Arguably (I really am not trying to start a new thread) you have inherited a huge black hole in the public finances and the electorate is hoping things are going to get better, asap.

At the same time- you must pack up your current home, instruct letting agents and move into Downing Street within days.- whilst dog tired and with all your new role responsibilities and demands. No small feat.

Our elected political representatives are not super human, especially when transitioning from shadow cabinet to new role and all that entails. But we should expect transparency and integrity- hence my earlier suggestions. A level playing field for all and an annual reckoning/declaration.

It exposes that they are worse at admin than some ordinary Joe's on the street.
Or worse at keeping the law. Which they sometimes are even involved in making.

It all further degrades our esteem of those in high office[what is left of it].

I do notice[and will be shouted down for this]
that those on the left of the Political spectrum, it seems to me, have a lower threshold and expectation of certain things, than those on the right.
Just my observation.

What I’d like to know is, if any other landlord (not a friend of KS or in Parliament) said they’d made a genuine mistake in forgetting to register a rental property, would they also be let off with no fine or other sanction?