Overview
- Rachel Reeves says she was unaware of the licensing requirement and applied for the permit immediately after a newspaper inquiry.
- She has self-referred to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards and informed Sir Keir Starmer and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
- Her Dulwich property has been let through an agency for about £3,200 a month since September 2024 in an area covered by Southwark Council’s selective licensing scheme.
- Kemi Badenoch called for a full investigation, and Sky News reports the ethics adviser has not opened one at this stage.
- Failing to hold a required licence can carry prosecution with unlimited fines, civil penalties up to £30,000, or rent repayment orders, and no sanction has been announced as the episode unfolds weeks before the 26 November Budget.