17 September 2024 , 21:35
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Chancellor preferred for 21-room mansion, in contrast to Tony Blair’s choice of offering it to his deputy John Prescott
Rachel Reeves has been given the use of Dorneywood, the 21-room Buckinghamshire mansion usually reserved for the second-most senior minister in government, instead of the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner.
Downing Street confirmed on Tuesday that the prime minister had given exclusive use of the house to his chancellor, as happened with her six immediate predecessors. However, the arrangement contrasts with that under Tony Blair, who gave the house to his deputy John Prescott, whom Rayner counts as an inspiration for her current role.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “In line with longstanding precedents, the chancellor has been allocated Dorneywood.”
Asked if that meant Rayner would not be allocated a grace-and-favour home, they said: “There are a range of other official residences … They just haven’t been set out.”
A spokesperson for Rayner declined to comment.
The centrist Keir Starmer and his leftwing deputy have had a turbulent relationship in the past.
Starmer tried to demote Rayner in 2021 but was forced to back down and ended up handing her an expanded portfolio instead. Relations have been better in recent years, however, with Starmer handing her the shadow levelling up role in 2023.
Dorneywood gives its resident access to 215 acres of parkland and woodland, as well as a swimming pool, conservatory and croquet lawn. It has been used in the past to host government events, but was also used by Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in 2022 after the British-Iranian dual national was released from captivity in Iran.
The use of official residences has been a source of contention and controversy for several recent governments. Prescott was given Dorneywood in 1997 but gave up his residence in 2006 after coming under fire for being pictured playing croquet in the gardens.
Chevening, the 115-room mansion usually reserved for the foreign secretary, has also been the source of cabinet tensions in the past. In 2016, the then foreign secretary Boris Johnson was forced to share the house with Liam Fox and David Davis, the two other ministers in charge of implementing Brexit.
Five years later, Johnson as prime minister forced his foreign secretary Liz Truss to share with her predecessor Dominic Raab, who had been moved aside in the reshuffle and given the title of deputy prime minister.
Asked at the time about the row between two of his most senior ministers, Johnson replied: “The people’s government does not bother with fripperies and foibles of this kind.”