"When Nadhim Zahawi's fate was hanging in the balance after a scandal over unpaid taxes, Angela Rayner was one of the first to pile on the political pressure. Nadhim Zahawi's story about his tax affairs doesn't add up, she said at the time. After months of denials, the truth emerges. His position is untenable. Rishi Sunak must dismiss him from his cabinet."
"Her comments were similar in 2018 when Jeremy Hunt received a discount when buying seven flats from a Conservative donor. Jeremy Hunt avoids 100,000 stamp duty by exploiting Tory tax loophole & buying flats in bulk, she posted on X. Rayner's effectiveness as a campaigner, communicator and scourge of the Tories made her an invaluable asset to Keir Starmer, but it also left her particularly vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy as her own tax scandal unfolded this week."
"but it also left her particularly vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy as her own tax scandal unfolded this week. So when Laurie Magnus found on Friday she had breached the ministerial code, the deputy prime minister felt she had little option but to follow the advice she often gave to Conservatives, and resign. I accept that I did not meet the highest standards in relation to my recent property purchase, she wrote in her resignation letter."
Angela Rayner publicly demanded accountability from Conservative ministers over tax and property controversies, targeting figures such as Nadhim Zahawi and Jeremy Hunt. Rayner built a reputation as a combative campaigner and effective communicator rooted in her trade union background. An investigation by Laurie Magnus found that Rayner breached the ministerial code concerning a recent property purchase. Rayner acknowledged failing to meet the highest standards and resigned as deputy prime minister. Keir Starmer and Rayner present contrasting personal histories and styles, with Starmer guarded and work-focused while Rayner is gregarious, emotionally open and aligned with the soft left.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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