Rushanara Ali has resigned as Homelessness Minister, Downing Street has confirmed.The move comes after she was accused of hypocrisy over the way she handled rent increases on a house she owns in east London.There were calls for her to step down from homelessness charities and opposition politicians.In a letter to the prime minister she has said that remaining in the role would be “a distraction from the ambitious work of this Government”.In a story first broken by the The i Paper, four tenants who rented a house owned by Ali in east London were sent an email in November giving them four months’ notice their lease would not be renewed.However, the property was re-listed shortly after they moved out, at a rent £700 a month higher.Tory Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake accused Ali of “staggering hypocrisy” over the handling of the property but Ali’s spokesman said she “takes her responsibilities seriously and complied with all relevant legal requirements”.In a letter to the prime minister, Ali wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that I offer you my resignation as a minister.”Insisting that “at all times I have followed all relevant legal requirements” she added: “I believe I took my responsibilities and duties seriously, and the facts demonstrate this.”However, it is clear that continuing in my role will be a distraction from the ambitious work of the government. “I have therefore decided to resign from my Ministerial position.”Responding to her resignation, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer thanked her for her work, which he called “diligent”.The PM praised her work to repeal the Vagrancy Act and …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnRushanara Ali has resigned as Homelessness Minister, Downing Street has confirmed.The move comes after she was accused of hypocrisy over the way she handled rent increases on a house she owns in east London.There were calls for her to step down from homelessness charities and opposition politicians.In a letter to the prime minister she has said that remaining in the role would be “a distraction from the ambitious work of this Government”.In a story first broken by the The i Paper, four tenants who rented a house owned by Ali in east London were sent an email in November giving them four months’ notice their lease would not be renewed.However, the property was re-listed shortly after they moved out, at a rent £700 a month higher.Tory Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake accused Ali of “staggering hypocrisy” over the handling of the property but Ali’s spokesman said she “takes her responsibilities seriously and complied with all relevant legal requirements”.In a letter to the prime minister, Ali wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that I offer you my resignation as a minister.”Insisting that “at all times I have followed all relevant legal requirements” she added: “I believe I took my responsibilities and duties seriously, and the facts demonstrate this.”However, it is clear that continuing in my role will be a distraction from the ambitious work of the government. “I have therefore decided to resign from my Ministerial position.”Responding to her resignation, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer thanked her for her work, which he called “diligent”.The PM praised her work to repeal the Vagrancy Act and …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
