UK Politics

Starmer Breaks Silence at PMQs After Rayner Admits Underpaying Stamp Duty On £800k Hove FlatSir 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 SenatorNigel 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.”( More

Angela Rayner is facing growing calls to resign after she admitted she did not pay enough stamp duty on the purchase of her £800,000 seaside flat. The deputy prime minister, who has referred herself to Sir Keir Starmer’s ethics advisor, insisted she made a mistake based on the advice she received at the time. But opposition figures have pointed out that the housing secretary has failed to follow the rules that she oversees. Pressure is likely to grow in the coming days, putting Sir Keir in an extremely difficult position, and her resignation would cause a serious 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

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has disclosed she underpaid stamp duty on a seaside flat, prompting one tax expert to label the property levy a “confusing mess”. Ms Rayner’s admission follows mounting pressure and media reports claiming she saved £40,000 on the Hove property by removing her name from the deeds of a family home in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency.Ms Rayner said she bought the Hove flat after selling her stake in another home to her son’s trust. She maintained she initially believed, based on legal advice, she was liable for the standard rate of stamp duty. However, she 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”.The incident highlights the intricate nature of stamp duty, which applies in “slabs”, with home buyers paying increasing portions of the property price when purchasing a residential property.Stamp duty is charged in England and Northern Ireland. Scotland and Wales apply separate property taxes.Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner More

Zack Polanski has apologised for claiming to have been able to help women increase the size of their breasts using his mind. The newly elected Green Party leader, while previously working as a hypnotherapist, offered a session to increase an undercover newspaper reporter’s breast size and improve her body image. And, asked about the claims following his landslide leadership win, Mr Polanski said “I apologised for that 12 years ago,” before apologising again. Asked if voters could trust him in light of the claims, he told BBC Breakfast: “Well, it’s never for a politician to say ‘trust me’.Zack Polanski said Labour attacking him over the claims shows the party is worried More

With her admission that she did not pay her tax properly, Angela Rayner appears to have put herself on the fast-track to the exit door of government.It is a remarkable turn of fortune for a politician who until today was considered a potential leadership candidate, should Sir Keir Starmer’s woeful poll ratings continue to fall.But given her own outspoken criticism of former Tory ministers for not resigning over misconduct when she was in opposition – “one rule for them, another for everybody else” – she at the very least looks like a hypocrite for not resigning but in reality may still rapidly be running out of time.Sir Keir, both in opposition and as prime minister, has vowed to clean up British politics and repeatedly said he will not stand for sleaze in his government or party. Ministers who do not uphold his standards have not remained in post – Louise Haigh, Tulip Siddiq and most recently Rushanara Ali have all resigned after the prime minister made it clear their positions were untenable.Now Ms Rayner, who had recently been pushing the prime minister to fulfil a promise to give her a proper Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to reflect her growing influence in government, may also be forced to quit.Angela Rayner is fighting to keep her job More

Angela Rayner is fighting for her political future after finally admitting to have avoiding £40,000 in tax when purchasing a property. The deputy prime minister has faced mounting calls to resign after revealing she underpaid the amount of stamp duty owed on the purchase of an £800,000 seaside flat in Hove.Admitting to the error after weeks of speculation, Ms Rayner blamed the error on dodgy legal advice in an emotional statement. Angela Rayner said she will pay the additional tax owed More

Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch face off in Prime Minister Questions on Wednesday (3 September).It is the first time the pair will battle it out in front of fellow MPs following Parliament’s summer recess, which began on 23 July and ended on Monday (1 September).It comes just hours after Rachel Reeves set the date for the Budget as 26 November, whilst admitting that the UK’s economy “isn’t broken” but is not “working well enough”.It is the latest possible date for an autumn Budget, with Ms Reeves appearing to try to buy time before making decisions on tax.She is required to give the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) 10 weeks’ notice but has instead opted to give the watchdog almost 12 weeks.Other potential topics up for debate include issues on immigration policies, after Yvette Cooper announced plans to suspend all applications under the family reunion route, and the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza.Just before the Commons exchange kicked off, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner admitted that she did not pay enough stamp duty on her £800,000 second property and has referred herself to the ethics adviser.The prime minister could also use this session to criticise Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage for failing to attend, having flown out to the US for a conference. More