Markus Andrews

Reform UK members and party activists are queuing up at this year’s conference to purchase party branded football shirts, emblazoned with the names of MPs and key party figures. The shirts, which are flying off the shelves, are being sold for £40 – or particularly keen activists can buy two for £75. For those who wanted something cheaper there were £15 caps or football terrace themed scarves to cheer on their top team.Football style Reform scarf on sale More

Angela Rayner has resigned from government after it emerged that she underpaid stamp duty on a seaside flat, breaching the ministerial code.Ms Rayner’s admission followed mounting pressure and media reports alleging she saved £40,000 on the property in Hove, East Sussex, by removing her name from the deeds of a family home in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency.Her resignation follows the findings of ministerial ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus, to whom she referred herself on Wednesday.Sir Laurie Magnus said the outgoing deputy prime minister had “acted with integrity”, but failed to “heed the caution” contained within legal advice she received when buying the £800,000 property in Hove.In her resignation letter, the former deputy PM wrote: “I have long believed that people who serve the British public in government must always observe the highest standards.“While the Independent Adviser has concluded that I acted in good faith and with honesty and integrity throughout, I accept that I did not meet the highest standards in relation to my recent property purchase.”Here, The Independent explains the issue and how it led to the resignation of one of the top figures in British politics:What are the rules around stamp duty?For those buying their first home, or moving from one to another, stamp duty is usually quite straightforward. There are several rates liable on the purchase, ranging from zero to 12 per cent, based on its value. Rayner’s political career hangs in the balance More

Angela Rayner has resigned as both deputy prime minister and housing secretary after an investigation into unpaid stamp duty on her new Hove flat.Ms Rayner said this week she had received incorrect advice on the purchase of the property, leading to her paying less land tax than she should have, and referred herself to Sir Laurie Magnus, the prime minister’s independent adviser on ministerial standards.On Friday, Sir Laurie returned his verdict, saying she fell short of the expected standards.Below is Ms Rayner’s resignation letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, in full:“Dear Keir,“Thank you for the personal and public support you have shown me in recent days. As you know, on Wednesday I referred myself to your Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, Sir Laurie Magnus, to conduct a thorough investigation into my personal financial circumstances after I became aware that it is likely I inadvertently paid the incorrect rate for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT).Angela Rayner has resigned over unpaid stamp duty More

Angela Rayner has resigned after she admitted she did not pay enough stamp duty on the purchase of her £800,000 seaside flat. The deputy prime minister, who on Wednesday referred herself to Sir Keir Starmer’s ethics adviser, insisted she made a mistake based on the advice she received at the time. And, after receiving the report’s conclusion, Ms Rayner has the has quit her roles as housing secretary and deputy prime minister, as well as her role as deputy leader of the Labour Party.Her resignation puts Sir Keir in an extremely difficult position and is a major headache for the prime minister. But who are the likely candidates to replace her? Angela Rayner is under growing pressure to resign after she admitted she did not pay enough stamp duty of her Hove flat More