"Inadvertent Errors"

Poor Rachel Reeves, she cannot catch a break. In today's news, the chancellor is having to defend herself against dodging payments due to Southwark council for renting out her home. According to local rules, landlords have to purchase a £945 licence. When Reeves put her family home up for rent following the general election, she failed to cough up and - apparently - only found out she was liable after the Daily Mail did some digging. She said it was an inadvertent mistake, the government's ethics advisor concurs, and Keir Starmer said he has full confidence in her. In the facts presented, it does indeed appear that Reeves is free of blame. As the rental was handled by a lettings agent, they should be responsible for knowing the requirements and sorting out the levy. This has since been corroborated by their admission of error.

I have no sympathy for landlords, and especially landlords who happen to be a dishonest and incompetent chancellor. Finding out her family home was 200 miles from her Leeds constituency came as no surprise either. Even if there is no wrong doing and it is the agency who are at fault, it's not a good look. Especially when Angela Rayner was forced out for another "innocent mistake". It builds up the impression that this government are in it for themselves, that they break the rules everyone else is expected to abide by and only apologise when they get found out.

The problem Labour has is this is starting to look like a pattern. There is a marked contrast between this government and the flouting of conventions and rules that marked Boris Johnson's time in office. Yet the context of Reeves's error is not only a cabinet who help themselves to freebies, whether they're personal clothing allowances from Waheed Alli, or tickets for prestigious sporting events and pop concerts, they defended their right to accept these gifts. What is the point of the spoils of office if you can't spoil yourself in office? Reeves looks crooked because she and her peers have decided that being seen to be on the take isn't a problem. This blindness to how they're perceived is partly cluelessness, but is also symptomatic of the collapse of mainstream politics. And that means even if Reeves is completely exonerated, it adds to the troughing vibes surrounding this government and politicians generally. Something that the far right can capitalise on, but so can an insurgent green left populism.

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