Full text of Angela Rayner’s letter to the prime minister, Keir Starmer’s reply, and the response by the PM’s independent ethics adviser
Angela Rayner has resigned her senior roles in government and the Labour party, writing to the prime minister that to serve in them had been an honour. Here are the letters between the outgoing housing secretary, Keir Starmer, and the prime minister’s independent ethics adviser in full:
Dear Keir,
Thank you for the personal and public support you have shown me in recent days. As you know, on Wednesday I referred myself to your independent adviser on ministerial standards, Sir Laurie Magnus, to conduct a thorough investigation into my personal financial circumstances after I became aware that it is likely I inadvertently paid the incorrect rate for stamp duty land tax (SDLT).
I have always taken my responsibilities as deputy prime minister, secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, as well as a member of parliament with the utmost seriousness. I have long believed that people who serve the British public in government must always observe the highest standards, and while the independent adviser has concluded that I acted in good faith and with honesty and integrity throughout, I accept that I did not meet the highest standards in relation to my recent property purchase.
