"The all-important email from HMRC had landed in the inbox of Rayner's tax lawyer Graham Aaronson on Tuesday afternoon. Relief was the main emotion among the former deputy prime minister's team, "as well as vindication", said an ally. "The key point was she'd been cleared of either tax dodging or being careless", they added . Rayner did, however, settle 40,000 in unpaid stamp duty."
"The timing of HMRC's decision was unexpected but potentially perfect for Rayner. It arrived just as MPs were split on Starmer's future and a leadership contest looked possible. But Rayner, who had developed a surprisingly warm rapport with the King, did not want to overshadow his speech or undermine the announcement of new legislation she had helped with while a minister. She did, however, want to make an impact."
"Her team decided it was best to do two interviews - one newspaper, one television - and wait until the next morning to publish them. Soon after the monarch had changed out of his Imperial State Crown and robes, and returned to Buckingham Palace via carriage, Rayner met the Guardian journalist Pippa Crerar in central London. She then sat down wi"
Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting, and Angela Rayner prepared separate moves while the King read the government’s plan in the House of Lords. Rayner privately pre-recorded a TV interview about resolving her tax affairs with HMRC. HMRC’s email arrived the next day in Rayner’s tax lawyer’s inbox, bringing relief and vindication for her team. The clearance covered whether she had dodged tax or acted carelessly, though she still settled £40,000 in unpaid stamp duty. The timing coincided with internal Labour divisions over Keir Starmer’s future and the possibility of a leadership contest. Rayner avoided overshadowing the King’s speech and new legislation, but planned two interviews and delayed publication until the following morning.
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]