Exclusive: former deputy prime minister says investigation ‘clipped my wings’ as she settles £40,000 in unpaid stamp duty
Angela Rayner has been cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness over her tax affairs, the Guardian can reveal, paving the way for a potential leadership bid as Keir Starmer’s grip on power unravels.
The former deputy prime minister has settled £40,000 in unpaid stamp duty after initially paying the lower rate, but has not paid any penalty as a result of the investigation. HMRC was also satisfied there was no tax avoidance.
In an interview with the Guardian, Rayner said she had been “bruised” by the whole experience because of the intrusion into her disabled son’s personal life, but also because it had appeared as though she was “in it for myself” rather than on the side of ordinary people.
The investigation by HMRC into her tax affairs has hung heavily over the senior Labour MP since she was forced to resign from the cabinet last September. Now it has been resolved, the door is open for a return to frontline politics.
