It has been announced this morning that the former deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has been cleared of wrongdoing by HMRC.
She initially failed to pay the correct stamp duty on a flat in Hove. In a statement this morning, she said that she “welcomes” the conclusions from HMRC “which has cleared me of any wrongdoing,” and says she has been exonerated “of the accusation that I deliberately sought to avoid tax”.
She then goes on to say: “When purchasing a home of my own with a mortgage, I did not own any other property and had no personal financial interest in the court-instructed trust set up to manage my son’s financial award. I was advised by experts that I should pay stamp duty at the standard rate.”
“I set out to pay the correct amount of tax. I took reasonable care and acted in good faith, based on the expert advice I received, and HMRC has accepted this.”
She adds that she, “wanted to ensure that I paid every penny that I owed, and have done so”.
It has since been revealed that the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne has known about this for a few days. However, she waited until after the King’s Speech yesterday to reveal this “news-bomb”.
By being cleared by HMRC, Angela Rayner is now able to contend for the Labour leadership contest.
Putting this news out the day that it is expected that Health Secretary Wes Streeting will make a campaign for PM is a very tactical move.
It is expected that Wes Streeting will make a statement in the next few hours, but has the former deputy Prime Minister put a spanner in the works?
She is the main headline currently, completely overshadowing the Health Secretary’s plans.
