19:23 GMT
Jack Fenwick
Political correspondent
The latest developments – and the apology from the letting agency
used by Rachel Reeves and her husband – will likely bring this particular tale
to an end.
While the chancellor acknowledges that she was ultimately
responsible for making sure this licence was acquired, the agency had told her
husband that they’d put in the application on their behalf.
But it’s yet another day when the government completely lost
control of the news agenda.
Ministers wanted to spend the day discussing their efforts to take
dangerous knives off the streets, but that announcement barely registered.
Downing Street will still be worried this evening about how this
all looks to voters.
They went through one row about a senior cabinet minister’s
housing arrangements just a few weeks ago when Angela Rayner resigned, now
they’ve had to endure another. And this time about a minister already under pressure.
In her 15 months as chancellor, Rachel Reeves has faced tricky
questions about the reliability of her CV and her acceptance of free concert
tickets.
Plans to cut winter fuel payments and disability benefits – that
she championed – have had to be ditched because of intense backbench pressure.
And in less than a month she’ll deliver a Budget that’s widely
expected to feature tax rises, despite saying last year that she wouldn’t do
it.
At Kemi Badenoch’s event this morning, it was clear that her party
sees the reputation of the Chancellor as an area that they can prod at.
Expect them to talk a lot about her in the coming weeks.