Sir Keir Starmer has defended Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner amid calls for her to be sacked following her admission she did not pay the correct stamp duty on her flat.
In the first PMQs since summer recess, the Prime Minister said he was “proud” to sit alongside Ms Rayner, saying he welcomed her referral to the ethics advisor and praising her pledge to build 1.5 million new homes.
He faced just one question from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on Ms Rayner’s conduct before she moved on to quiz him on the economy.
Earlier on Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed a late Budget date of November 26 amid concerns over soaring borrowing costs. In the announcement she admitted the economy “isn’t working well enough”.
Reeves has opted for the latest date possible for an autumn Budget this year as she attempts to buy time before making decisions on tax.
The Prime Minister also hit out at Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who has travelled to the US today to speak in Congress. Responding to a question about the Online Safety Act, which Mr Farage has publicly opposed, the prime minister said accused Mr Farage of flying to America to “badmouth and talk down our country”.
Farage slammed as ‘Putin loving free speech imposter and Trump sycophant’ in savage takedown by US Senator
Nigel Farage has been dubbed a “Putin loving free speech imposter and Trump sycophant” by a US congressman, who launched a savage takedown of the Reform leader before he even sat down to speak.
The attack came as Mr Farage prepared to give evidence on freedom of speech to the US House Judiciary Committee in Washington DC.But before he began, Congressman Jamie Raskin launched into a humiliating take down of the Reform politician.
“To the people of the UK who think this Putin loving free speech imposter and Trump sycophant will protect freedom in your country, come on over to America and see what Trump and MAGA are doing to destroy our freedom, to kidnap college students off the street, to ban books from our libraries, militarise our police and unleash them against our communities, take over our universities, wreck our professional civil service and turn the government into a money making machine for Trump and his family”, the Democrat said.
“You might think twice before you let Mr Farage make Britain great again.”
Rayner ‘should not be setting the rules when she fails to keep them herself,’ MP says
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has received calls for her to be sacked following her admission she did not pay the correct stamp duty on her flat.
Mel Stride Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer and MP for Central Devon, has said she should not “be setting the rules”.
In a post on X he wrote: “It’s utterly extraordinary that while working families and businesses are being hammered by Labour’s tax hikes, Angela Rayner has failed to pay the right amount of stamp duty. “
However, others have said she should not be pushed out, with former Tory MP Miriam Cates highlighting Rayner has “complex living arrangements” due to her son’s disability, and “should not be hounded out of office”.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey also said he believed Angela Rayner’s property decisions were guided by her disabled child’s interests.
Pictured: Nigel Farage Meets US Congress Over UK Free Speech
Who could replace Angela Rayner if she resigns over stamp duty row?
Stride says Rayner should ‘live by the rules’ she makes
Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride took a swipe at Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner as he opened the Conservatives’ Opposition Day debate, asserting that if she wants to make the rules, then “she should live by them”.
Sir Mel said: “I’m absolutely certain that the Deputy Prime Minister had a good recess.
“We saw many photographs of her down at the seaside, just off the coast in a rubber dinghy, rather like many of the other photographs over the summer given the reckless policies this Government has towards illegal migration.
“She was probably celebrating the acquisition of another property for her property empire, but perhaps also slightly tinged with that nagging doubt as to whether she had indeed paid enough stamp duty. Well, we will get to the bottom of that in due course.”
He added: “If (Ms Rayner) wants to make the rules, she should live by them.
“And that will be a message which will go out to businesses and families right up and down this country. There is no way that they can avoid the juggernaut of taxes that are coming down the track.”
Former Tory MP says Rayer ‘should not be hounded out of office’
Former rightwing Tory MP Miriam Cates, who campaigns on family issues, has come out in support of Angela Rayner.
In a post on X, Ms Cates said Ms Rayner has “complex living arrangements” due to her son’s disability, and “should not be hounded out of office”.
WATCH: Rachel Reeves admits ‘economy isn’t working well enough’
As she made this morning’s Budget date announcement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves posted a video on X admitting the economy “isn’t working well enough”.
“Britain’s economy isn’t broken. But I know it’s not working well enough for working people,” she said.
“Bills are high. Getting ahead feels tougher. You put more in, get less out. That has to change.”
She said “fixing the foundations” has been her mission for the past year, and touted Government action including trade deals with the US, India and the EU and making a start on tearing up planning rules to reach the target to build 1.5 million homes.
“But I’m not satisfied,” she said. “There’s more to do. Cost-of-living pressures are still real.
“We must bring inflation and borrowing costs down by keeping a tight grip on day-to-day spending through our non-negotiable fiscal rules. It’s only by doing this can we afford to do the things we want to do.
“If renewal is our mission and growth is our challenge, investment and reform are our tools. The tools to building an economy that works for you – and rewards you. More pounds in your pocket. An NHS there when you need it. Opportunity for all.
“Those are my priorities. The priorities of the British people. And it is what I am determined to deliver.”
Davey: ‘As a parent of a disabled child, I can understand the Deputy Prime Minister’
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said he believed Angela Rayner’s property decisions were guided by her disabled child’s interests.
He said: “I understand it is normally the role of opposition leaders to jump up and down and call for resignations – as we’ve seen plenty of from the Conservatives already.
“Obviously if the ethics adviser says Angela Rayner has broken the rules, her position may well become untenable.
“But as a parent of a disabled child, I know the thing my wife and I worry most about is our son’s care after we have gone, so I can completely understand and trust that the Deputy Prime Minister was thinking about the same thing here.
“Perhaps now is a good time to talk about how we look after disabled people and how we can build a more caring country.”
Sir Keir Starmer bats for Angela Rayner during PMQs
The story of the hour in Westminster is Angela Rayner’s admission she underpaid stamp duty tax on her flat in Hove.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has called for her to go, but during PMQs, the Prime Minister stood by his deputy.
Sir Keir said: “She has explained her personal circumstances in detail. She’s gone over and above in setting out the details including, Mr Speaker, yesterday afternoon, asking a court to lift a confidentiality order in relation to her own son.
“I know from speaking at length to the Deputy Prime Minister just how difficult that decision was for her. But she did it to ensure that all information is in the public domain.
“She has now referred herself to the independent adviser. That is the right thing to do.
“But I can be clear, I am very proud to sit alongside a Deputy Prime Minister who is building 1.5 million homes, who is bringing the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights for generations, and who has come from a working-class background to become Deputy Prime Minister.”
Analysis: Reform media ban in Nottinghamshire is a disturbing glimpse of a future with Farage in power
Last month, the leader of a Reform UK council effectively barred a local newspaper and website from speaking to the local authority.
Our political editor David Maddox says it is a “disturbing” glimpse of the future under Farage in his latest analyis.
“As political editor of The Independent, I have taken threatening calls from a member of Reform’s leadership and an aide of Mr Farage telling me that The Independent will be banned from all events if we do not change a critical story or the tone of our questions and coverage,” he writes.
“It is a disturbing indication of what will happen if Reform enter Downing Street.
“It is worth remembering that free speech does not exist if there is not a free press able to carry out its work and hold people to account. Mr Farage may need to remember that when he gives evidence today.”
