Angela Rayner a 'great British success story', says PM after tax affairs row

Angela Rayner is simply a "great British occurrence story" and it is simply a "mistake" for radical to beryllium briefing against her, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The premier curate powerfully defended his lawman aft she came nether scrutiny implicit her taxation affairs.

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The Daily Telegraph has reported that Ms Rayner, who is besides the lodging secretary, avoided £40,000 successful stamp work erstwhile buying a 2nd location aft telling taxation authorities it was her main home.

Ms Rayner insists she paid the close work portion her allies suggest briefings against her are driven by classism and misogyny.

Asked if she has questions to answer, Sir Keir told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Angela came from a precise humble background, battled each sorts of challenges on the way.

"I'm arrogant of her arsenic our lawman premier curate and 1 of the things that drives maine astir authorities is that aspiration is an accidental for radical to spell arsenic acold arsenic their endowment volition instrumentality them".

The premier curate said Ms Rayner has had "people briefing against her and talking her down implicit and implicit again" and that is simply a "big mistake".

He called her a "great communicative of British success" that volition springiness "working people children, peculiarly girls, a existent consciousness of aspiration".

"They volition look astatine Angela and think, I tin bash thing similar that. What a superb thing."

Ms Rayner grew up connected a assembly property successful Stockport and near schoolhouse astatine 16 large with nary qualifications. She said she had nary books successful her location increasing up due to the fact that her parent couldn't work oregon constitute and she was told she would "never magnitude to anything".

Sir Keir's remarks travel aft a Downing Street spokesperson insisted the premier curate had assurance successful Ms Rayner and that determination is simply a tribunal bid which restricts her from providing further accusation implicit her taxation affairs "which she's urgently moving connected rectifying successful the interests of nationalist transparency".

The spokesperson rejected a proposition that Darren Jones, who has been appointed to the new ministerial relation of main caput to the premier minister, would beryllium a de facto lawman premier minister.

There is nary proposition Ms Rayner broke immoderate laws implicit the stamp work connected her home, but the Tories said she should look an morals investigation.

Stamp work is simply a taxation paid successful England and Northern Ireland erstwhile idiosyncratic buys a spot implicit a definite price.

In past autumn's budget, the authorities increased the further complaint of stamp work connected 2nd homes by 5%.

According to the Telegraph, Ms Rayner is understood to person removed her sanction from the deeds of her location successful Greater Manchester a fewer weeks earlier buying a level successful Hove, East Sussex, worthy £800,000.

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The changes enabled her to debar a higher complaint of stamp work that would person been applicable if the Hove level was classed arsenic a 2nd home, the insubstantial said. It claimed she paid £30,000 alternatively than £70,000 successful stamp duty, redeeming £40,000 successful the process.

The paper besides claimed Ms Rayner antecedently suggested the Greater Manchester location remained her superior residence, redeeming astir £2,000 successful assembly taxation connected her grace and favour location successful cardinal London.

Kevin Hollinkrake, the Conservative Party chairman, said the statement amounted to "hypocritical taxation avoidance, by a curate who supports higher taxes connected household homes, high-value homes and 2nd homes".

A spokesperson for Ms Rayner has said she "paid the close duty" connected the acquisition "entirely properly" - and "any proposition different is wholly without basis".

A Cabinet Office spokesperson added that Ms Rayner "has followed proposal connected the allocation of her authoritative residence astatine each times".