Government announces new Homelessness Minister

The Labour government has appointed a new Homelessness Minister more than a month after Rushanara Ali’s resignation.

Alison McGovern will serve as Minister for Local Government and Homelessness, facing a difficult task as the number of homeless households in England reaches unprecedented levels.

The appointment follows Ms Ali’s resignation, which came after the i newspaper reported that she had evicted four tenants from her East London townhouse and subsequently increased the rent by £700 a month.

No more forgotten people

Ms McGovern, who had been running for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party but withdrew to support Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, said there “was much more to do” to prevent homelessness.

She shared a photo on social media of herself holding a mug from her time as a councillor at Southwark London Borough Council.

In a post on BlueSky, Ms McGovern wrote: “Second red box. This time, as Minister for Local Government and Homelessness. So much to do to rebalance our economy and make sure there are no more forgotten places, no more forgotten people.”

Publicly condemning unreasonable rent increases

The news comes after Ms Ali resigned as Homelessness Minister due to evicting her tenants, despite having championed the Renters’ Rights Bill and publicly condemning “unreasonable rent increases.”

She was found to have terminated a fixed-term tenancy agreement in order to sell her East London home.

A former tenant disclosed receiving an email in November, providing four months’ notice that the lease would not be renewed.

After the tenants vacated, the property was re-listed for rent at £700 more per month, despite Ms Ali’s efforts to outlaw such actions through the Renters’ Rights Bill.

Ms Ali is not the only landlord among Labour MPs to face scrutiny. Labour MP Jas Athwal came under fire after admitting his rental properties were plagued by ant infestations and black mould, and were unlicensed.