Rachel Reeves’ rental mistake is another standards warning to Keir Starmer’s ministers

Following the Daily Mail’s story about Rachel Reeves’ failure to arrange a licence for renting out her home in south London  ¹³ Farley H and Francis S, Starmer rules out investigation after Reeves admits rental rules 'mistake', BBC, 29 October 2025, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd04d0yxnrvo , Downing Street published an exchange of letters  between the chancellor and the prime minister  ¹⁴ GOV.UK, Exchange of letters between the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the advice from the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street, 29 October 2025 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/exchange-of-letters-between-the-prime-minister-and-the-chancellor-of-the-exchequer-on-the-advice-from-the-…  in which Reeves apologised for her “inadvertent mistake” and Keir Starmer explained that he was “satisfied that this matter can be drawn to a close”. 

The chancellor has taken steps to arrange a licence for her property and there will be no further investigation. This case has been resolved fairly quickly – though if, as the opposition alleges, Reeves has broken the law then this will appear premature. Regardless, the case reveals an ongoing pattern of ministers not taking scrutiny seriously. 

Reeves is not the first minister to make such a mistake

Starmer lost one of his most senior ministers when Angela Rayner resigned after it became clear that she had not paid the right amount of stamp duty on a property she was buying in Hove. Homelessness minister Rushanara Ali resigned after she raised the rent on a property she owned having evicted the previous tenants.  ¹⁵ McKiernan J and Eardley N, Homelessness Minister Rushanara Ali quits over rent hike claims, 7 August 2025, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyd3l2x2n8o  And these are only some of the resignations from Starmer’s government related to ethical standards.

Rayner and Reeves both appear to have made honest mistakes, while Ali also said that she had “followed all relevant legal requirements”. But it is the failure of all three to think about how their actions look to the public – and, in Reeves’ case, her failure to check that her own housing arrangement, once she had moved into Downing Street, were fully watertight after her colleagues’ resignations – that shows that Labour are still adjusting to the reality of being in government, where all ministers’ actions are constantly under scrutiny. 

These are hyper-critical times – which Labour had helped to create

Some in politics – and outside – might lament the puritanical world that is public life in the UK, where there is very little understanding or forgiveness for honest mistakes. But Labour itself has played a part in creating this atmosphere. When the party was in opposition, it made constant calls for resignations from Conservative ministers over perceived misdemeanours – regardless of the gravity of the case in question. 

Labour made restoring trust in politics and government key to its pitch to voters last year, and in his first speech as prime minister Keir Starmer committed to “restore service and respect to politics”.  ¹⁶ GOV.UK, Keir Starmer's first speech as Prime Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street, 5 July 2024 https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/keir-starmers-first-speech-as-prime-minister-5-july-2024  The focus in government is now on the importance of delivering change to public services as a way of rebuilding this trust, but incidents like Reeves’ mistake will only contribute to public apathy and anger towards politicians (particularly given it is yet another mistake related to multiple houses, reinforcing the sense that ministers are out of touch with the public’s challenges).

Ministers need to up their game on standards

Starmer has taken some practical steps on standards since entering Downing Street, including setting up a new ethics body and giving his independent adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, the ability to investigate potential breaches of the ministerial code without needing the prime minister’s permission. (Like with Rayner, Magnus did not need to exercise this power as Reeves came to him proactively). 

But the fact that another minister – the second most powerful minister in government, no less – has made an avoidable mistake over their housing arrangements suggest a wider failure across this government to recognise the importance of demonstrating squeaky clean behaviour. One possible problem is that, despite the evidence of the last 16 months, Labour politicians still believe that they, unlike their Conservative predecessors, are inherently good people and will not make mistakes of this nature. The public does not share this view. 

This is no longer a new government that can claim surprise when stories like these emerge. To avoid further damaging ethics scandals which hit the government’s reputation and distract from its priorities, every minister needs to take responsibility for their own affairs. This means  combing through their personal arrangements and assuring themselves that they can defend their decisions to a hostile press. A failure to do so risks making a mockery of the prime minister’s commitment to a politics of service.

This comment piece was updated on Friday 31st October.