Angela Rayner is in talks to write a book just weeks after being forced to resign from the government over a tax scandal.
Sir Keir Starmer’s former deputy is speaking to publishers about the prospect, according to The Times.
Ms Rayner quit as Labour’s deputy leader and housing secretary in September after she was found to have breached the ministerial code over questions about the stamp duty she paid on a home on the south coast.
The Independent understands that nothing is as yet set in stone about a book, but there is a lot of interest around the prospect.
Ms Rayner, the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, was one of the most left-wing voices in the cabinet before her departure, and secured more than 50 per cent of the final round votes from Labour members when she was elected in 2020.
Ms Rayner had referred herself to the prime minister’s standards watchdog after she admitted she had paid as much as £40,000 less surcharge than she should have done on the purchase made in May this year.
Her resignation triggered a wider reshuffle of Sir Keir’s top team and led to the election that saw Lucy Powell voted in as the party’s deputy leader.
Speaking in the House of Commons for the first time since her resignation at the end of October, Ms Rayner described recent weeks as “incredibly tough on my family”.
She said: “All of us in public life know all too well the toll of the intense scrutiny we face places on our loved ones.
“But I’ve always believed in the highest standards of transparency and accountability, and it is what the public expects and it is the price we pay for the privilege of service.
“That’s why I referred myself to the independent adviser and gave them access to all of the information he needed. As I set out then, parents of a disabled child with a trust who divorce and seek different properties face a complex tax position.
“If there is one good thing that can come out of this, I hope that other families in this situation may be aware of that, and avoid getting into the position that I am now in.
“I am, of course, corresponding with the HMRC – and they have my full cooperation.
“There is no excuse not to pay taxes owed, and I will do so. This was an honestly made mistake, but when you make a mistake, you take responsibility.”
