Rushanara Ali has resigned as England's homelessness minister after it emerged she evicted four tenants from a property she owns and re-let it weeks later for £700 more per month. The tenants were told in November that their fixed-term contract would not be renewed because the east London home was being sold, but it was later re-listed at £4,000 rent, up from £3,300.
Ali announced her resignation on Wednesday evening following intense criticism from housing charities and opposition parties. In a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, she said she had followed all legal requirements but acknowledged her role had become a distraction from government work.
Starmer accepted her resignation, thanking her for her work at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Critics accused Ali of hypocrisy, given her previous statements against exploiting private renters and her role in promoting the renters’ rights bill, which would ban such practices.
Conservative chair Kevin Hollinrake accused the Labour government of hypocrisy and self-service, while Shelter's director of campaigns and policy, Mairi MacRae, said the story highlighted how the cards are stacked against renters. Ali's spokesperson clarified that the tenants stayed through their fixed term and were offered to stay longer, but they chose to leave.
