Chancellor Rachel Reeves has admitted that she broke housing regulations when her family home in London was rented out without securing the required licence.
Reeves told Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a letter that she "was not aware a licence was needed in our area” and that “as soon as it was brought to my attention, we took immediate action and have applied for the licence”.
Newly published email chains between Reeves's family and the letting agent show the company confirming a selective licence would be required, and the agent had agreed to apply on the couple's behalf.
"They have also confirmed today they did not take the application forward, in part due to a member of staff leaving the organisation," the letter reads.
"Nevertheless, as I said yesterday, I accept it was our responsibility to secure the licence."
After consulting with his independent ethics advisor, Starmer concluded that “further investigation is not necessary”, saying the matter could be drawn to a close following her apology.
In a separate statement, the letting agent used by Reeves' family acknowledged its part in the oversight. The firm said it had offered to apply for the licence on her behalf but failed to do so.
Opposition parties criticised the decision not to investigate further with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch telling the prime minister to "grow a backbone" and sack the chancellor.