Sir Keir Starmer will do "everything he can" to save his deputy after she confessed to underpaying stamp duty on her seaside flat.
Angela Rayner referred herself to both the Government’s independent ethics adviser and to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) after admitting she will have to pay more property tax on her £800,000 flat in Hove.
It is claimed she saved £40,000 in stamp duty on the property because she removed 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.
The Conservatives have called for the taxman to go further and investigate whether Ms Rayner has evaded tax, which would be illegal.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform’s Nigel Farage have both called for the Deputy Prime Minister to resign.
But Sir Keir is “determined” to save his deputy, according to the Times.
“He wants to do everything he can,” an ally of the Prime Minister told the newspaper.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir gave his backing to Ms Rayner, telling MPs he was “very proud to sit alongside” her.
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Sir Keir Starmer is said to be 'determined' to save his deputy
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Ms Rayner claims she had received inaccurate legal advice that led her to underpay tax when buying the flat in May.
The Deputy Prime Minister, who is also the housing secretary, said in a statement on Wednesday she had taken legal advice when she bought the south coast flat which suggested she was “liable to pay standard stamp duty”, but had then sought “further advice from a leading tax counsel” after headlines about the arrangement.
She learned that the initial advice had been inaccurate and she was liable to pay additional stamp duty.
That is because she had put her stake in her constituency home in Ashton into a trust set up in 2020 for her disabled son.
Angela Rayner has admitted to underpaying stamp duty on her Hove flat
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Tax experts said the Hove property could not be treated as her only residence because of the nature of the trust.
The flat has now been targeted by vandals, who have left messages including "tax evader" and "b***h" outside.
Sir Keir has condemned the vandalism in the "strongest possible terms".
A Downing Street spokesman said: “Some of you may have seen the photos of the vandalism of the Deputy Prime Minister’s home this morning.
“The Prime Minister condemns this vandalism in the strongest possible terms.
“Whatever scrutiny our parliamentarians may face, it is appalling that their private homes should be targeted in this way.”
A spokesman for Angela Rayner said it was "totally unjustifiable" and "beyond the pale".
“Neither Angela nor her neighbours deserve to be subjected to harassment and intimidation", the spokesperson said.
Messages including 'tax evader' have been left outside Angela Rayner's flat in Hove
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“It will rightly be a matter for the police to take action as they deem appropriate.”
GB News has contacted Sussex Police for comment.