Angela Rayner: 'Victim of misogyny' or 'freeloading' deputy prime minister?

To her astir savage critics - from Tories to the acold near - she's "Rotten Rayner", a taxation evader, freeloader and a "low life… connected the make".

To her commercialized national friends, she's a unfortunate of misogyny who right-wing politicians are attempting to hound retired due to the fact that she's moving class.

And aft her tearful interrogation connected Sky News, adjacent among immoderate of her governmental opponents there's a grade of sympathy for Angela Rayner too.

Politics latest: Why the lawman PM astir resigned

But amid the rancorous statement among MPs astir whether she should enactment oregon go, there's 1 portion of her defence that is attracting scepticism from friends and foes.

That's her assertion that she was initially fixed duff proposal by a solicitor. Really? If she has grounds to substantiate that, she whitethorn beryllium successful the clear, though there'd nary uncertainty beryllium accusations of an constitution stitch-up.

But if not - and the metropolis grandee who's the PM's morals advisor - the Eton and Oxford-educated baronet Sir Laurie Magnus - rejects her defence, she'll astir surely person to go.

And with her resignation - oregon sacking - would astir surely spell her hopes of succeeding the progressively unpopular Sir Keir arsenic Labour leader, contempt her popularity with the party's activists.

When she arrived for Prime Minister's Questions, conscionable fractional an hr aft her bombshell confession, the Labour precocious bid placed a corporate limb astir her.

Sir Keir Starmer, who told MPs helium was arrogant to beryllium alongside a lawman PM from a working-class background, enactment his manus connected her near shoulder.

Lucy Powell, the person of the Commons, sitting the different broadside of the beleaguered Ms Rayner, did the aforesaid connected her close shoulder.

Rachel Reeves, who besides knows each astir being beleaguered and shedding tears successful public, looked crossed astatine her and smiled sympathetically.

If Labour feared a brutal PMQs onslaught from Kemi Badenoch, they needn't person worried. "Why is she inactive successful office?" the Tory person began. So far, truthful good.

"If helium had a backbone helium would sack her," she said successful the 2nd of her six questions. But that was it. "But fto america get backmost to borrowing," she continued.

Inexplicably, the Tory person ploughed connected with her pre-prepared questions connected authorities borrowing. Labour MPs couldn't judge their luck. Cue galore jokes astir missed unfastened goals.

After different dud Kemi-Kaze show astatine PMQs, immoderate MPs were adjacent speculating that Ms Rayner's endurance prospects - slim, astatine champion - stay amended than those of the Tory leader.

But successful the cruel satellite of societal media, Ms Rayner was not spared a vicious onslaught from critics from crossed the governmental divide. You'd amended support your telephone switched off, Angi.

From the spiky shadiness overseas caput Priti Patel, Ms Rayner was "the spot taxation dodging, freeloading lawman premier minister" who had "finally admitted breaking the instrumentality and evading paying taxes owed".

There was more. "She says that's she's sorry," said punchy Priti. "But she's lone atrocious that she was caught out. Rotten Rayner should go."

But it wasn't conscionable Tories - who let's not hide were denounced arsenic "Scum!" by Ms Rayner backmost successful 2021, successful what she described arsenic "street language" - who were brutal.

Read more:
Rayner admits she should person paid much stamp duty
Rayner came retired warring successful Sky interview
Rayner's taxation affairs connection successful full

The acerbic George Galloway declared: "She's a lowlife". For bully measure, helium claimed she was "on the make" and connected "Supermarket Sweep, piling her trolley full".

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But determination was sympathy from 1 enactment leader, Sir Ed Davey of the Liberal Democrats, who said that arsenic a genitor of a disabled kid "I cognize the happening my woman and I interest astir astir is our son's attraction aft we person gone".

Shortly aft PMQs, opening a Tory statement on, yes, spot taxes, shadiness chancellor Sir Mel Stride opted for ridicule and mockery. "I'm perfectly definite that the lawman premier curate had a bully recess," helium began.

"We saw galore photographs of her down astatine the seaside, conscionable disconnected the seashore successful a rubber dinghy, alternatively similar galore of the different photographs implicit the summertime fixed the reckless policies this authorities has towards amerciable migration.

"She was astir apt celebrating the acquisition of different spot for her spot empire, but possibly besides somewhat tinged with that nagging uncertainty arsenic to whether she had so paid capable stamp duty.

"Well, we'll get to the bottommost of that successful owed course."

Quite so, Mel. We will.

Let's besides bespeak that connected Monday Sir Keir Starmer proudly announced: "Phase 2 of my authorities starts today." On Tuesday, helium informed MPs, helium was "speaking astatine length" to Ms Rayner. Must person been awkward.

And connected Wednesday, the PM had to ticker her tearful confession, conscionable minutes earlier facing MPs successful the Commons.

Not a large commencement to signifier two, premier minister. Nor for his embattled and tearful deputy, who's present warring for governmental survival.