Homelessness Minister Rushanara Ali quits over rent increase claims

Rushanara Ali has resigned as homelessness minister, Downing Street has confirmed.

The move comes after she was accused of hypocrisy over the way she handled rent increases on a house she owns in east London.

There were calls for her to step down from homelessness charities and opposition politicians.

In a letter to the prime minister she said “at all times I have followed all relevant legal requirements” but that remaining in the role would be “a distraction from the ambitious work of this government”.

The row was sparked after Ali ended her tenants’ fixed term contract in order to sell up, but then re-listed the house for rent at a higher price within six months, which is something she is currently trying to outlaw under the Renters’ Rights Bill.

In a story first broken by the the i…