Markus Andrews

Angela Rayner admits to not paying enough taxSir 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 RaynerSir 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.”Tom Watling4 September 2025 15:43Electoral 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.Tom Watling4 September 2025 15:30Starmer 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.”( More

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has disclosed she underpaid stamp duty on a seaside flat, claiming she received incorrect legal advice about a complex tax rule.Ms Rayner’s admission followed mounting pressure and media reports claiming 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.Political opponents have clamoured for Ms Rayner’s resignation over the issue, as the ministerial ethics adviser investigates the matter – likely deciding her political future.The incident has also highlighted the intricate nature of stamp duty, which applies in “slabs”, with homebuyers paying increasing portions of the property price when purchasing a residential property.Here, The Independent looks at the issue and Ms Rayner’s position: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. The Deputy Prime Minister is under mounting pressure over the details of her purchase of a property in Hove (Aaron Chown/PA) More

Angela Rayner’s flat has been graffitied with the phrase “tax evader” as the deputy prime minister faces calls to resign after admitting underpaying stamp duty on her Hove property.Footage from the seaside flat shows the words “tax evader” and “b***h” written in purple, red and yellow lettering. The words can be seen in various sizes across the front of the white wall around her front patio. An additional message of “Tax evader Rayner” could also be seen graffitied on a construction clipboard nearby. A spokesperson for Ms Rayner decried the offensive graffiti as “unjustifiable and beyond the pale”. The spokesperson said: “This vandalism to residents’ homes is totally unjustifiable and beyond the pale.“Neither Angela nor her neighbours deserve to be subjected to harassment and intimidation.“It will rightly be a matter for the police to take action as they deem appropriate.”An additional message of “Tax evader Rayner” could also be seen graffitied on a construction clipboard nearby More

Sir Keir Starmer is determined to save Angela Rayner after she admitted to dodging £40,000 in tax when purchasing a property.After weeks of speculation about her property arrangements, the deputy prime minister conceded that she had not paid enough stamp duty on her £800,000 seaside flat in Hove, East Sussex.And the prime minister is reportedly prepared to do whatever he can to save his deputy, having vowed not to hand his critics a “scalp”. A senior ally of the PM told The Times he has genuine sympathy for Ms Rayner’s position and will do what he can to keep her in his top team, but that ultimately her fate will be decided by the outcome of an independent ethics probe. Ms Rayner referred herself to the prime minister’s independent ethics adviser, who will interview her over the property purchase in the coming days as part of an investigation into the scandal.She had been under pressure after it was reported that she had saved £40,000 in stamp duty by removing her name from the deeds of a family home in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency, classifying the Hove flat as her only property despite still spending time at the family house.Angela Rayner admitted not paying enough tax More

Nigel Farage was branded a “Putin-loving free speech imposter and Trump sycophant” by a US congressman on Wednesday who launched a severe critique of the Reform UK leader before the Briton gave evidence to a committee in Washington DC. Democrat representative Jamie Raskin urged voters in Britain to “think twice” before voting for Mr Farage, accusing him of only protecting free speech he agrees with. His comments came as Mr Farage, who has been heavily critical of free speech in the UK, with claims police are too heavy-handed with their arrests of people accused of hate speech, gave evidence on the subject to the US House judiciary committee. Mr Raskin said: “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 … You might think twice before you let Mr Farage ‘make Britain great again’.” Giving evidence later in the session, Mr Farage hit back, saying: “You can say what you like, I don’t care.”In his stinging attack, Mr Raskin argued that Donald Trump and Mr Farage “both claim they’re protectors of free speech, but they only want to protect speech they agree with”. Nigel Farage appears in front of the US house judiciary committee More

Sir Keir Starmer has failed to prove to working people in the UK that he is one of them and risks opening the door for Nigel Farage to seize power, the leader of Labour’s biggest backer has warned.Speaking ahead of the annual meeting of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Brighton next week, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak told The Independent that “for too many people, ‘change’ feels too much like a slogan and they don’t feel it in their pockets”.It comes as the TUC is set to use the annual congress to push the agenda on wealth taxes to fill the spending gap in Rachel Reeves’ budget.Keir Starmer has made some self-inflicted mistakes, Nowak believes More