As a government minister, Rushanara Ali was foolish, but as a landlord, completely rational. Her case exposes exactly what’s wrong with Labour’s rental reform, writes Emma Revell

Keir Starmer must be the only Prime Minister to wish his colleagues had a bit less hands-on experience of their briefs.

At the start of the year, his anti-corruption minister was forced to resign after being drawn into a corruption investigation in Bangladesh. Then last week his homelessness minister had to quit after it was reported that she had turfed tenants out of an East London property she owns, claiming she planned to sell, only to whack up the rent by £700 a month and advertise for new tenants.

Eat your heart out, Armando Iannucci.

Both Tulip Siddiq and Rushanara Ali had their defenders. Rachel Reeves said she “didn’t understand” why some were calling for Ali’s resignation, less than 24 hours before she inevitably quit. But despite their attempts to deny wrongdoing, both their positions were ultimately untenable.

But we should pause over Ali’s case, because it’s much more than just an embarrassing episode for the government. It shows how politicians – both Tory and Labour – completely fail to understand incentives.

Renters’ Rights Bill cuts........

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