London: UK’s Minister for Homelessness, Rushanara Ali, has resigned following allegations that she evicted tenants and significantly increased rents on a property she owns.
In her resignation letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer on August 7, the junior Ministry of Housing official insisted she had complied with all legal requirements ‘at all times’ in her role as a landlord.
Ali, who represents Bethnal Green and Stepney, removed four tenants from her four-bedroom east London property last year as it was being put up for sale.
It has been an honour to have served in this Labour Government.
To avoid any further distraction for the government, I have resigned as a Minister.
My letter to the Prime Minister.https://t.co/fOes7m3cUH pic.twitter.com/TNJIXxzhWU
— Rushanara Ali MP 💙 (@rushanaraali) August 7, 2025
The house, previously rented for £3,300 ($4,433) per month, was re-listed weeks later at £4,000 ($5,374) after no buyer emerged. This came despite Ali’s past criticism of landlords imposing ‘unreasonable rent increases’ on tenants.
Ali said that she had always taken her ‘responsibilities and duties seriously’ but acknowledged that remaining in her post risked distracting from the government’s work. The Minister expressed pride in helping deliver ‘record investment in social and affordable housing’ and nearly £1 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.
The Minister for Homelessness’ resignation comes as Starmer’s government prepares a Renters’ Rights Bill to ban short-notice ‘no-fault’ evictions and prevent landlords from re-listing properties for higher rents within six months of eviction, a measure aimed at tackling one of the leading causes of homelessness in the UK.
Ali is the fourth Labour minister to quit under pressure in recent months, following transport minister Louise Haigh, anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq, and junior health minister Andrew Gwynne. The wave of resignations is a setback for Starmer, whose Labour Party now trails Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in opinion polls, just over a year after its landslide victory.
A June YouGov poll predicted Reform UK would secure 271 seats in the House of Commons if an election were held today, compared to Labour’s projected 178. Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake accused Starmer of leading ‘a government of hypocrisy and self-service.’
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