PA:
The Prime Minister and his independent ethics adviser have received “new information” regarding the rental arrangements for the Chancellor’s family home, Downing Street has said.
No 10 added that Sir Keir Starmer has “full confidence” in Rachel Reeves.
A No 10 spokesman said: “Following a review of emails sent and received by the Chancellor’s husband, new information has come to light.”
“This information has been passed to the Prime Minister and his independent adviser.”
Because that’s how these ethics investigations are meant to work…
UPDATE: The letting agents have apologised to Reeves for failing to get the licence.
UPDATE II: The Tories correctly point out that the landlord is liable:
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Last night Rachel Reeves said ‘she had not been made aware of the licensing requirement’.
“Today, we find out that Reeves was alerted to the need for a licence in writing by the estate agents. Having been caught out, the Chancellor is now trying to make the estate agents take the blame, but Reeves never followed up with them to ensure that the licence had been applied for, or checked if the licence had been granted.”
“Regardless, under the law, Reeves and her husband are responsible for ensuring the licence is granted. With more information coming to light every few hours, the Prime Minister needs to grow a backbone and start a proper investigation.”
Shadow national security minister Alicia Kearns told Times Radio she would have put a precondition on a China trip if she were PM:
“I would have put a precondition that I was not going to go if I was prime minister, unless Jimmy Lai was coming home with me. I would also put a precondition in the six months leading up to the visit that I wanted a reduction in hostile acts against our country. But that’s not what we saw. And actually, in contrast, what we saw was clearly the Chinese Communist Party did put a precondition, which was that the new embassy in London had to be signed off. So why is it okay for China to set preconditions and to make very clear red lines about what they require for a visit, but we go without having put any ourselves?”