A relatively quiet recess has been enlivened by a government resignation. Rushanara Ali quit as Homelessness Minister after accusations of hypocrisy by the i newspaper over how she handled rent increases on a house she owns in east London. Ali ended her tenants’ fixed term contract to sell up but then re-listed the house for rent at a higher price within six months, which is something she is currently trying to outlaw under the Renters’ Rights Bill. She had already lost part of her brief after attending an event linked to the parent company of a firm criticised by the Grenfell inquiry.
The Labour MP’s resignation came in an exchange of letters with the Prime Minister. She insisted that ‘at all times I have followed all relevant legal requirements’ – something which ignores the fact that Ali’s own department is responsible for the impending law change. Keir Starmer’s response is a crisp five paragraphs long, praising Ali’s ‘diligent work’ to repeal the Vagrancy Act and improve democratic participation. It ends with a nod to her constituents in Bethnal Green and Stepney – a seat which Labour will likely lose to a Gaza independent-style candidate next time around.
Ali’s exit is the eleventh departure from Keir Starmer’s government in thirteen months. A playbook has now been established for ministerial exits: go quickly, go quietly and, if you’re lucky, you might just come back. Rushanara Ali’s resignation came just over 24 hours of the i story first appearing. The exchange of letters dropped after the 6 o’clock news, before tomorrow’s papers had gone to press. Clearly, there is little appetite for a rerun of the Tory years, when various doomed ministers desperately tried to cling on, thus prolonging the pain across multiple media cycles.
Two thoughts struck me when the news broke. The first is the pragmatic ruthlessness of Keir Starmer’s operation. Having purged three Labour rebels on the last day of term in July, Ali’s swift execution on Thursday evening was another case of the PM learning from Michael Corleone: ‘It’s not personal, it’s strictly business.’ Woe betide any minister caught in trouble; the bodies of Louise Haigh, Tulip Siddiq and now Rushanara Ali show they can expect little sympathy from No. 10.
The second was the politics of the Renters Rights’ Bill, introduced by Labour after the failure of the Tories to pass a Renters’ Reform Bill before July 2024. The criticism of Labour in opposition was that the Conservatives could not enact meaningful change, owing largely to the fact that so many of its MPs were landlords. When it comes to designing and implementing laws, Ali’s exit is a reminder of the human interests at play, regardless of which rosettes are won at the despatch box.
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