For a PM who made such a big deal about standards, another difficult daypublished at 17:08 GMT
17:08 GMT
Jack Fenwick
Political correspondent
There’s been something of a sense
of déjà vu around Westminster today, with another senior cabinet minister
caught up in a row about a house they own.
Just weeks after Angela Rayner was forced to resign as deputy prime
minister after it emerged that she’d underpaid stamp duty, now it’s the
chancellor having to answer questions.
The prime minister has dismissed calls for a full investigation into Rachel Reeves’ case – but today his
official spokesman refused to answer a whole host of questions.
Starmer had a brief exchange last
night with the independent adviser on ministerial standards, Sir Laurie Magnus,
during which it was decided that an apology was “a sufficient resolution”.
Magnus is now reviewing emails about the rental
arrangements that were sent and received by the chancellor’s husband.
But Downing Street has refused to
say whether Magnus believed the chancellor broke the ministerial code.
The spokesman also
refused to say whether he was able to view any evidence, other than the
chancellor’s own account of what happened, and refused to say if Reeves will
resign if she broke the law.
Sources close to the chancellor
have said that her letting agent told her it would advise her if the licence
was needed and did not do so. That may turn out to be enough to let her off
the hook.
But for a prime minister who made
such a big deal out of ministerial standards when he was in opposition, this is
yet another difficult day.