Angela Rayner last night faced calls to prove she has been 'cleared' by the taxman just in time to join the Labour leadership race.Labour's ex-deputy leader declared yesterday that HMRC had absolved her of wrongdoing or carelessness over the purchase of a home in Hove, East Sussex.She was required to stump up the £40,000 in unpaid stamp duty on the south coast flat but was said to have avoided a fine.Experts and political rivals said ordinary taxpayers were likely to feel aggrieved as HMRC almost always imposes fines in such cases.Questions were raised about how the taxman had concluded she had not been careless, given she did not obtain specialist tax advice on the complex transaction that involved a trust being set up for her disabled son.Eyebrows were also raised over how the probe came to be closed so quickly, paving the way for her to stand in an expected race to succeed Sir Keir Starmer.She is understood to have learnt of the decision on Tuesday but waited until yesterday morning, as others began to move against the Prime Minister, to announce it.Shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart said: 'Angela Rayner's carefully worded statement cannot disguise the fact that she has still had to settle up an unpaid tax bill of £40,000. 'Only Angela Rayner seems to be able to say that this is now settled with HMRC. She still has serious questions to answer.