Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner is facing calls to step down after she was accused of dodging capital gains tax on a house sale. Rayner has denied the allegations, but has refused to allow her boss, Sir Keir Starmer, to look at the “tax advice” she says exonerates her. Starmer has said he does not want to look at the details because he does not want to suggest that he does not trust Rayner. However, critics have accused him of being afraid to hold his deputy to account. The row comes at a difficult time for Labour, which is trailing the Conservatives in the polls and is facing a general election in 2024. If Rayner is found guilty of tax dodging, it would be a major blow to the party’s reputation and could cost it votes.
Former Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of dodging his responsibility to hold his deputy to account. Rayner has refused to allow Starmer to look at the “tax advice” she says exonerates her, and Starmer has said he does not want to look at the details because he does not want to suggest that he does not trust her. This has led to accusations that Starmer is afraid to hold Rayner to account, and that he is putting the party’s interests ahead of the public interest.
The row comes at a difficult time for Labour, which is trailing the Conservatives in the polls and is facing a general election in 2024. If Rayner is found guilty of tax dodging, it would be a major blow to the party’s reputation and could cost it votes.
In a statement, Rayner said that she is “confident that I have acted in accordance with the law” and that she is “happy to provide any further information that HMRC or the Labour Party may require”. However, she has not yet provided any evidence to support her claims.
Starmer has said that he “respects” Rayner’s decision not to share the tax advice with him, but that he “reserves the right” to look at it in the future. He has also said that he is “confident” that Rayner has “acted in good faith”.
The row is likely to continue in the coming weeks, and it could damage Labour’s chances of winning the next general election.
