Lorraine Kelly has prompted fury from ITV viewers who believed she was "making excuses" for Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner's tax controversy.
The scandal originated when Ms Rayner purchased a three-bedroom apartment in May for £800,000, declaring it as her sole property and paying £30,000 in stamp duty.
However, she should have paid £70,000 as the higher rate for additional properties.
The confusion stemmed from complex arrangements involving her former matrimonial home in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester.
Lorraine Kelly sparked accusations of not being balanced on her ITV show
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Following her divorce finalisation in 2023, portions of that property were transferred to a trust benefiting her disabled son.
Ms Rayner disposed of her remaining quarter share in January, receiving £162,500. She believed this meant she owned no property when purchasing the Hove flat.
Tax regulations stipulate that parents remain deemed owners of properties held in trust for minor children regarding stamp duty calculations. This technical rule meant Ms Rayner's legal advisors provided incorrect guidance.
The Deputy Prime Minister engaged different solicitors for the Hove purchase than Shoosmiths, who had established her son's trust arrangement.
She stated her lawyers advised that standard stamp duty applied, given her lack of financial interest in the Ashton property.
Financial specialists suggest Ms Rayner faces potential penalties reaching £40,000 for the underpayment.
Angela Rayner admitted to a stamp duty underpayment | GETTYDiscussing the topic on Thursday's Lorraine, Mrs Kelly summarised: "This story is dominating the news, isn't it?
"It's in all the front pages this morning, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner's future hangs in the balance this morning, after admitting to underpaying stamp duty on her second home.
"Well, let's get the latest on this from Louisa James, who's live from Downing Street, and it's quite a complicated story, Louisa, if you can put it into context for us."
Ms James replied: "If you look at those headlines and you look at the bare facts of this, it looks pretty bad for Angela Rayner, because at its most basic, she did not pay enough tax when she bought a house, and she is the Housing Secretary.
"But as you said, it is complicated. It is not quite as straightforward as that. You just heard Angela Rayner - very emotional - talking about what she says are her complex living arrangements to do with her son, who has lifelong disabilities.
"And so when she and her husband got divorced, they kept the family home in her constituency to provide stability for the children, but she sold her stake in it to a trust set up for her son, and so when she then went on to buy another flat, she was told by a lawyer, she says, that she wasn't liable for paying the extra stamp duty you owe on a second home because she didn't already own another property.
"Now she then got a second opinion, and it turned out that that initial legal advice was wrong, and she has admitted that.
"She's being investigated by the independent advisor on Minister Standards, that's expected to take days.
In the meantime, Keir Starmer is standing by his Deputy, saying he is proud to do so, but the Conservatives are accusing her of possible tax evasion as well as hypocrisy, because she did not hesitate to go after Conservative ministers in a similar position when she was in opposition.
"And I don't think you can not take into account the politics of this. What an important person Angela Rayner is in the Labour family, in part because of her upbringing, leaving school at 16, pregnant - something I know she's spoken to you about Lorraine on the programme before, and I think that makes her a very important and unique person within Labour."
She went on to add: "Angela Rayner represents the unions and the kind of left side of the Labour Party which the Prime Minister needs on his side, and housing is a huge part of his agenda.
"And so he does need someone popular and talented at politics to lead it.
"So I don't think she does need to go, and I think that's partly because she has a very compelling story to tell on the whole thing, it does sound, and I don't want to prejudice this report, but it does sound quite innocent to me."
Lorraine Kelly accused 'right-wing press' of being like 'a dog with a bone'
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Ms Kelly, 65, later commented: "The right wing press in particular, which is basically most of the press with a few exceptions, are like a dog with a bone with this.
"They're not going to let it go. I mean, it has been on the front pages for over a week now.
"And so is that going to factor into things? Do you think is that going to factor into Keir Starmer's decision, or, indeed, Angela Rayner's decision, whether she decides to go herself?"
Responding to the discussion on social media, many viewers blasted the "excuses" put forward on the ITV show.
One X user wrote: "They are trying to make excuses for Angela Raynor, but do they really think HMRC would excuse another woman making the same mistake through receiving bad legal advice?
"How many times do you think they've heard that excuse? She should taste her own medicine and resign!! #lorraine."
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ITV Lorraine viewers fumed about her coverage of the Angela Rayner tax scandal
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"This woman who used to be on Corrie couldn’t be more left wing/Labour voting if she tried. If it was Farage or Badenoch she would be singing a different tune about tax avoidance! #lorraine," another wrote in reference to Ms Kelly talking to Nicola Thorp on the subject.
"Funny listening to #lorraine that Rayner is being treated differently because she is a 'working class left wing woman'. No. She is being treated the same. And her supporters don't like that. They demand different treatment and complain when the rules are applied equally," another shared.
Someone else argued: "Angela Raynor is the housing minister how did she not know I note there's not a balanced argument on #Lorraine they’re just parroting what #angelaraynor said give over with working class argument."
"Oh Thorp if it was a male politician you would be calling them all sorts she is not above hypocrisy because she is female what an absolute clown #lorraine," another argued.
Another wrote: "Could have put a million quid on man-hating Nicola Thorp saying Angela Rayner shouldn't lose her job and it was just an honest mistake etc. etc. If it was a bloke she'd be asking him to be hung, drawn and quartered. So predictable #lorraine," (sic)