UK

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

A senior cabinet minister has criticised the police after comedian Graham Linehan was arrested over tweets about transgender people. Health secretary Wes Streeting said that the government wants to see people being kept safe by “policing streets, not just policing tweets” and suggested legislation could be looked at if the law was “not getting the balance right” on free speech.He said: “It’s very easy for people to criticise the police. The police enforce the laws of the land that we as legislators provide”, he told Times Radio. “So if we’re not getting the balance right, then that’s something that we all have to look at and consider.”Mr Steeting’s intervention followed intense controversy following the arrest of Father Ted writer Linehan at Heathrow airport on arrival on a flight from the US.While signalling disapproval of Linehan’s treatment, Mr Streeting said it was wrong to blame police for what had happened.“They were simply acting in accordance with laws on combating online abuse which had been approved by Parliament”, he told BBC Radio Four: “They are there to enforce the laws Parliament makes and if we aren’t getting the law right we cannot have a go at the police.”Mr Streeting said It was right to outlaw those who used social media to harass and abuse others, or sell drugs and weapons illegally. However, when dealing with free speech online, “context is king,” he added: “We have to tread really carefully when it comes to the boundaries of free speech.” Mr Streeting was proud to “live in a country where we come down like a ton of bricks on racism and discrimination”, but there had always been: “legitimate boundaries when it comes to free speech – which is about protecting others from harm… Sometimes those boundaries are blurred”.Mr Streeting’s intervention follows the Irish comedian’s claims on Tuesday that he was arrested “like a terrorist” by five armed police officers as he arrived from Arizona in Heathrow Airport, who told him he was “under arrest for three tweets”.Graham Linehan was detained by five officers at Heathrow airport More

Sir Keir Starmer is considering introducing digital ID cards in a bid to crack down on small boat crossings, Downing Street has said.The prime minister did not say whether identification cards would be made compulsory, but confirmed the government is considering a rollout of the technology. It comes days after one of Sir Keir’s top ministers Pat McFadden said Britain is “behind the curve” and called for the rollout of digital IDs.No 10 has previously steered clear of digital ID cards as a way to deter Channel crossings, despite repeated calls from senior figures including former Labour prime minister Sir Tony Blair.Asked on Tuesday whether ministers were considering rolling out a compulsory national ID card, the PM’s spokesman said: “We’re willing to look at what works when it comes to tackling illegal migration, and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Mr McFadden referenced that over the weekend in terms of applications of digital ID to the immigration system.Keir Starmer is considering rolling out digital IDs More

Rachel Reeves is under renewed pressure to drop her tax hike on businesses after new research suggested it had the greatest impact on small firms.The findings seen by The Independent revealed that the number of job vacancies at small businesses fell by a fifth (18 per cent) in the three months to July, compared to the three months to October, when the chancellor announced the increase in employer contributions to national insurance in her 2024 Autumn Budget.The analysis of Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures carried out by the Liberal Democrats, as the party calls on the chancellor to scrap the so-called “jobs tax”, has come with a dramatic warning from the Federation of Small Business (FSB) that their members “do not feel the government has their backs”.No 10 denied the reshuffle had dealt a blow to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ authority (Matthew Horwood/PA) More

Tory MPs have revealed that whips have been ringing them to encourage them to go to Kemi Badenoch’s first party conference as leader in October amid concerns that it will be poorly attended.An email has been sent to MPs to urge them to attend, while MPs have reported calls from party whips asking if they are planning to turn up at the Manchester event with the tone described as “pleading”.One veteran MP told The Independent: “I don’t remember whips calling before like this.“I was actually planning to go but I think there is a concern that not many people will attend.”Kemi Badenoch has been leader for almost a year More

Rachel Reeves’ authority has not been dealt a blow by Sir Keir Starmer’s shake-up of his Downing Street team, No 10 has insisted as it sought to calm market jitters.The government’s “ironclad commitment” to its fiscal rules remains, the prime minister’s official spokesman emphasised against a backdrop of soaring long-term government borrowing costs.This week’s reshuffle saw the chancellor’s deputy, Darren Jones, move into a new role as chief secretary to the prime minister – a move many saw as an attempt to sideline the beleaguered chancellor, who has faced criticism for her handling of the economy. Sir Keir also brought in Baroness Minouche Shafik, a former Bank of England deputy governor, as his chief economic adviser, and senior Treasury mandarin Dan York-Smith as his principal private secretary.The reshuffle has been seen as a sign the prime minister is seeking to bolster No 10’s economic firepower before a tricky budget this autumn, with speculation rife over tax rises.Sir Keir and Ms Reeves spoke “at length over the summer about how these changes would bolster their joint approach to the growth agenda,” the prime minister’s spokesman told reporters.Asked whether Ms Reeves’ role has been diminished, the official said: “No, and as I say it reflects the strengthening of the relationship between the prime minister and the chancellor, a determination to drive growth in the economy, a recommitment to our robust fiscal rules.”Rachel Reeves’ former number two in the Treasury, Darren Jones, has become the Prime Minister’s chief secretary (James Manning/PA)It comes ahead of what are expected to be a difficult few months for the chancellor, amid growing speculation that she is likely to have to announce major tax rises in the Budget amid growing worries over the UK’s finances. The yield on UK government bonds – also known as gilts – jumped to the highest level since 1998, at 5.698 per cent, meaning it costs more for the government to borrow from financial markets.The pound also fell on Tuesday morning, down 1 per cent to 1.34 US dollars and 0.6 per cent lower at 1.15 euros.Without commenting on specific market movements, Sir Keir’s spokesman said: “Our ironclad commitment to our robust fiscal rules remain.“You’ll have seen since this government took office that we have taken the necessary decisions to stabilise the public finances, drive growth.“Our fiscal strategy has been backed by the IMF and others, and our approach has helped interest rates to be cut five times since the election, which is the best way to bring borrowing costs and inflation down.”Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer shut down attempts by Cabinet colleagues to sing him Happy Birthday (Anthony Devlin/PA)When she entered the Treasury, Ms Reeves set out two key fiscal rules: the first to ensure that day-to-day spending is matched by tax revenues by 2029-30 rather than borrowing, and the second to reduce net financial debt as a share of the economy.Analysts have suggested the latest spike in gilts is a sign that investors do not have confidence the Treasury will stick to its borrowing rules.The prime minister’s spokesman stressed that Mr Jones is “someone who has been involved in the work to stabilise the economy, invest in public services and an approach to the economy that’s brought borrowing costs down, brought interest rates down”.Sir Keir earlier brought together his senior ministers for their first Cabinet meeting after the summer recess and since the mini-reshuffle – on what was also the prime minister’s birthday.Sir Keir told his Cabinet that “phase two” had begun, with changes made to the No 10 operation to help deliver higher living standards, improvements to public services and more secure borders.“He said he and the chancellor had spoken at length over the summer about how these changes would bolster their joint approach to the growth agenda and ensure it is a key factor when taking decisions,” the prime minister’s spokesman said.Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch compared the shake-up to “shifting the deckchairs on the Titanic”, adding: “I don’t think it’s going to make any difference.”Speaking to reporters on a visit to Scotland, she said: “I don’t know what this says about his confidence in the Chancellor, but the fact that he’s taken his chief secretary of the Treasury and put him into No 10 does not inspire me with confidence because he’s one of the people who’s been making the mess.”Sir Keir, who turns 63 today, shut down an attempt by Cabinet colleagues to sing him Happy Birthday, according to his spokesman. More