Sir Keir Starmer has condemned graffiti outside the seaside flat of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner in Hove.
The word “b***h” along with a much larger sign saying “tax evader!” have been pictured on a white wall on the outside of the home, after Ms Rayner admitted underpaying stamp duty on the property.
A Downing Street spokesman said Sir Keir condemned the vandalism in the “strongest possible terms”.
The spokesperson added: “Whatever scrutiny our parliamentarians may face, it is appalling that their private homes should be targeted in this way.”
Ms Rayner’s spokesperson called the vandalism “totally unjustifiable and beyond the pale”, and said it is a matter for the police.
Ms Rayner referred herself to the ministerial ethics adviser on Wednesday after admitting, following days of silence, that she had wrongly listed her flat, earning a tax break reportedly worth up to £40,000.
The deputy prime minister – who is also housing secretary – said in a statement that she had received legal advice which told her she did not need to pay a higher rate of tax on the property.
Starmer says he will ‘act on’ independent adviser’s investigation into Angela Rayner
Sir Keir Starmer has said he will “act on” the conclusions of his independent adviser’s investigation into Angela Rayner, as he declined to say whether he would sack his deputy if she was found to have breached the ministerial code.
In an interview with the BBC, the Prime Minister said: “There’s a clear procedure. I strengthened that procedure. It is now taking place.
“I am expecting a result pretty quickly. I do want it to be comprehensive, as you’d expect.
“And then, of course, I will act on whatever the report is that’s put in front of me.”
Asked whether he would sack Ms Rayner, Sir Keir said: “Angela Rayner has referred herself to the independent adviser. My experience is he will be comprehensive in the report that he gives me, it will be quick, and that’s what I’m expecting.
“And so I want to let that process take its course. I did strengthen that process, so she’s done the right thing, referred to the independent adviser, and now he will do his work and report back to me.”
Electoral Commission releases Q2 party donations
Donations to the Conservatives fell between April and June this year as parties declared £11 million in support, figures from the Electoral Commission have shown.
The Tories received £2.9 million in private donations in the second quarter of the year, down from £3.4 million in the first three months of 2025.
A third of the Conservatives’ total came in the form of a £1 million donation from video game entrepreneur Jez San, following an earlier £1 million gift to the party in February.
The party also received £250,000 from its current treasurer, Graham Edwards, and another £200,000 from businessman Kamal Pankhania, half personally and half through one of his companies, Westcombe Homes.
Despite the fall in donations, the Conservatives still out-raised Labour, which received £2.6 million in donations, slightly more than the £2.4 million it declared between January and March.
More than half of that figure came from trade unions, including £746,000 from Unite, which has threatened to “re-examine” its relationship with Labour over the Government’s handling of a long-running strike by refuse workers in Birmingham.
Other donations included £442,000 from the GMB union, £246,000 from Usdaw and £106,000 from the Communication Workers Union.
Labour’s largest private donation during the period came in the form of £80,000 from property company Activepine, owned by Birmingham-based businessman Maqbool Ahmed.
Donations to the Liberal Democrats fell by around half, to just £773,597, while despite Reform UK’s consistent lead in the polls, donations to Nigel Farage’s party remained relatively steady at £1.4 million.
Starmer says allies ‘must go further’ in pressuring Putin to end war
Allies must “go even further” in applying pressure on Russia, Sir Keir Starmer has told a meeting of the coalition of the willing.
A Downing Street said: “The Prime Minister addressed a virtual call of the coalition of the willing from Glasgow this morning.
“The Prime Minister began by sharing his condolences with Portugal on behalf of the United Kingdom following the tragic crash in Lisbon last night.
“Turning to the situation in Ukraine, the Prime Minister said Putin could not be trusted as he continued to delay peace talks and simultaneously carry out egregious attacks on Ukraine.
“That was further underlined by the indiscriminate attacks in Kyiv last week, causing significant damage to the British Council and EU delegation buildings, he added.
“Discussing the latest military planning for the coalition of the willing, the Prime Minister emphasised that the group had an unbreakable pledge to Ukraine, with President Trump’s backing, and it was clear they now needed to go even further to apply pressure on Putin to secure a cessation of hostilities.
“The Prime Minister also welcomed announcements from coalition of the willing partners to supply long-range missiles to Ukraine to further bolster the country’s supplies.
“He also thanked military planners and chiefs of defence for their ongoing and rapid work to ensure a force could deploy in the event of a ceasefire.
“The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon.”
Starmer spokesperson fields questions on PM’s knowledge of Rayner tax affairs
Sir Keir Starmer was kept informed “as appropriate” about the steps Angela Rayner had taken over her tax affairs, a Number 10 spokesperson has said.
Downing Street faced repeated questions from journalists about what the Prime Minister knew about his deputy’s tax affairs and when, after a series of conflicting statements from different figures in Government.
A No 10 spokesman said on Thursday: “The Prime Minister was kept updated on steps that the Deputy Prime Minister has taken, as was appropriate.
“As soon as that final legal opinion was received by the Deputy Prime Minister on Wednesday morning she immediately took steps to self-refer herself to the IA (independent adviser), and she updated the Prime Minister at the earliest opportunity as well.”
Asked if Sir Keir believed Ms Rayner had been transparent with him, the spokesman said: “The Prime Minister has been updated on the steps that the Deputy Prime Minister has taken – you’ve got his words from yesterday in the House when he said she has gone over and above in setting out the details.”
Why did Rayner not pay enough tax on her flat?
Ms Rayner referred herself to the ministerial ethics adviser on Wednesday after admitting, following days of silence, that she had wrongly listed her flat.
When purchasing a £800,000 property in Hove in May, she paid the standard rate of stamp duty, estimated to be £30,000. However, the higher rate for second homes would have made this as much as £70,000.
The deputy PM explained: “When purchasing the property, my understanding, on advice from lawyers, was that my circumstances meant I was liable for the standard rate of stamp duty.”
She says she did this because she had sold her stake in her constituency home in Greater Manchester into a trust of which her 17-year-old son, who has lifelong disabilities, is the beneficiary.
However, Ms Rayner was later advised that, despite not owning any other property at the time of the purchase, “complex provisions relating to the trust gives rise to additional stamp duty liabilities”.
Reeves names last possible date for Budget as she eyes tax hikes to plug £40bn black hole
Rayner spends day with mayors amid intense scrutiny
It is understood Angela Rayner is spending the day meeting regional mayors, including West Yorkshire’s Labour Tracy Brabin and the North East’s Kim McGuinness, at Derbyshire stately home Chatsworth House.
The purpose of the meeting has not been revealed.
In pictures: Starmer visits BAE Systems Scotstoun
Reeves says she has ‘full confidence’ in Rayner
Where did Rayner get the money for her Hove flat?
The deputy PM says she sold her stake in her Greater Manchester family home to her son’s trust in January 2025. This gave her the money to pay the deposit for the Hove flat, which she owns with a mortgage.
The court-instructed trust was set up in 2020 using a payment that was granted after “a deeply personal and distressing incident” involving her son as a premature baby, she says. Now in his late teens, he has life-long disabilities, including blindness.
In a statement, she said: “The trust was established to manage the award on his behalf – a standard practice in circumstances like ours.”
“Some of the interest in our family home was transferred to the trust in 2023.”
She then sold all of her interest in the Ashton-under-Lyne property to this trust in 2025, although it remains her family home. It is Ms Rayner’s son’s trust that now holds equity in the Ashton house.
