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The Deputy Prime Minister has admitted she did not pay enough tax on her £800,000 seaside flat
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Sir Keir Starmer is facing calls to sack Angela Rayner after the Deputy Prime Minister admitted she did not pay enough tax on her £800,000 seaside flat.
In a tearful interview, Ms Rayner said she was "devastated" and "deeply regrets" making the tax error, which came to light after The Daily Telegraph claimed she avoided £40,000 in stamp duty on her £800,000 Hove flat by removing her name from the deeds of another property in Greater Manchester.
It's understood that Ms Rayner has referred herself to the Prime Minister's ethics adviser and considered resigning after admitting that she will have to pay more property tax.
The PM is under increasing pressure to sack Ms Rayner over the escalating tax row.
During his first Prime Minister's Questions since MPs returned from the summer recess, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch claimed Sir Keir would sack Ms Rayner "if he had a backbone", adding: “It is clear that taxes are going up for everyone, except perhaps the Deputy Prime Minister.”
Sir Keir insisted that the Deputy Prime Minister had "gone over and above" in setting out the details, including yesterday afternoon asking a court to lift a confidentiality order in relation to her own son.
He continued: “I know from speaking at length to the Deputy Prime Minister just how difficult that decision was for her and her family.
"But she did it to ensure that all information is in the public domain, she has now referred herself to the independent adviser, that is the right thing to do."
This explanation did little to quell the backlash, with Shadow Housing Secretary Sir James Cleverly claiming Ms Rayner's "credibility is in tatters" and that "her actions reek of hypocrisy. Starmer is too weak to kick her out”.
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice added: “If anyone from any other party had been in that situation and tried to dodge paying the correct amount of tax, no-one would have screamed and hollered louder than the Deputy Prime Minister. Morally, her situation was always completely indefensible.”