REVEALED: The five biggest scandals that have rocked Labour since sweeping to power as Angela Rayner on brink

Amid the fallout, Downing Street has refused to say when Sir Keir was first made aware of key details that led his deputy to refer herself for an ethics investigation.

The latest tax row follows a series of high-profile scandals. As the Government desperately tries to contain the fallout, we look back at a torrid first term.

Sue Gray

Just over three months after Sir Keir told the crowd of supporters in the Tate Modern he would "begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal and start to rebuild our country", former civil servant and the Downing Street Chief of Staff Sue Gray resigned.

Ms Gray had made headlines as the lead investigator into gatherings of government and Conservative Party staff during Covid lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, also known as "Partygate".

Sir Keir had approached her in March 2023 to advise Labour on the challenges of moving from opposition to Government, with her becoming the party leader's Chief of Staff in September of that year.

After Labour's General Election victory, she became the Downing Street Chief of Staff. However, it did not take long before rumours leaked out that she had substantial control over ministerial and special adviser appointments.

Pressure really ramped up after it was revealed Ms Gray asked for and was given a salary of £170,000 - £3,000 more than the PM and more than any cabinet minister, or her Conservative predecessor.

One source told the BBC: "It was suggested that she might want to go for a few thousand pounds less than the prime minister to avoid this very story. She declined."

Announcing her resignation, she said: "In recent weeks, it has become clear to me that intense commentary around my position risked becoming a distraction to the government’s vital work of change.

"It is for that reason I have chosen to stand aside, and I look forward to continuing to support the Prime Minister in my new role."

Lord Waheed Alli 

Lord Waheed Alli was the source of not one but two headaches for the Government.

In September last year, it was revealed that the Prime Minister breached parliamentary rules by failing to declare the senior party donor bought high-end clothes for his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer.

Sir Keir faced an investigation after neglecting to disclose that Lord Alli, the former Asos chair, covered the cost of a personal shopper, clothes and alterations for Lady Starmer.

Just a month earlier, a row emerged after it was revealed a Downing Street pass was issued to the longstanding party donor

It is understood that the PM sought advice from the registrar of MPs’ interests over the two donations, and they will be re-categorised as "donations in kind" of clothing.

Sir Keir also received £2,400 from Lord Alli for glasses and the use of an £18million penthouse - as did Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

He did, however, announce that he will no longer accept money for clothes while in office.

Mike Amesbury

In the early hours of October 26, 2024 CCTV footage caught the then MP for Runcorn and Helsby Mike Amesbury punching a constituent in Frodsham.

Mr Amesbury, who had held the Cheshire seat since 2017, was heard shouting: "You won't threaten the MP ever again, will you?" with bystanders rushing in to restrain the 56-year-old.

The Labour Party was quick to suspended Mr Amesbury's party membership and parliamentary whip.

On February 24, 2025 Mr Amesbury was sentenced to ten weeks imprisonment which, after an appeal, was turned into a suspended sentence.

The scandal sparked a by-election, which was held on May 1. Reform UK's Sarah Pochin ended up pipping her Labour rival to the post by just six votes.

It was the closest British post-war by-election result, and the closest result in a constituency since North East Fife in the 2017 general election.

Rushanara Ali

Rushanara Ali resigned as Homelessness Minister after reports emerged that she evicted her tenants before hiking the monthly rent on her townhouse by £700.

The i Paper reports that four tenants who rented a house in East London from Ali were sent an email last November saying their lease would not be renewed, which also gave them four months’ notice to leave.

Ms Ali’s property, near the London Stadium in Stratford, was then re-listed with a £700 rent increase within weeks.

The house, rented on a fixed-term contract, was put up for sale while the tenants were living there, and it was only re-listed as a rental because it had not sold.

The MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney said she took the decision to step down with a "heavy heart".

In an open letter to the Prime Minister, she said that remaining in the role would be "a distraction from the ambitious work of this Government".

Tulip Siddiq

Tulip Siddiq quit Labour's frontbench over her alleged links to the Bangladeshi government, although she claimed that there was "no evidence to suggest" that she acted improperly.

The MP for Hampstead and Highgate stepped down from her post as Treasury Economic Secretary in January, which involved tackling corruption in British financial markets following a series of allegations regarding corruption.

Ms Siddiq is the niece of the former Bangladeshi prime minister, Sheika Hasina, who fled the country in August last year after ruling for 15 years. Ms Hasina had previously held the post for five years, and she is the daughter of Bangladesh’s founding president.

She was ousted amid student-led protests that were met with violence by government forces, which saw nearly 300 people killed. She is now exiled in India.

In April, it was reported that Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission had sought an arrest warrant for Ms Siddiq over allegations that the MP for Hampstead and Highgate illegally received a 7,200sq ft plot of land in the country’s capital.

Bangladeshi anti-corruption officials gave evidence in court on Wednesday, the Associated Press reports. Ms Siddiq has claimed she has not had any official communication about the trial.