Sir Keir Starmer has spoken for the first time since Angela Rayner amitted that she did not pay enough stamp duty on her £800,000 second property in Hove. During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (3 September), Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch questioned why the deputy prime minister “is still in office” after she revealed that she had referred herself to the ethics adviser. In response, Sir Keir said Ms Rayner “did the right thing” and he is “very proud to sit alongside her”. He heaped praise on Ms Rayner, telling the Commons that she “is building 1.5 million homes”, bringing in “the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation” and applauded her for coming from a “working-class background”.

Keir Starmer accidentally called Angela Rayner an “incredible prime minister” as he defended his deputy. The prime minister defended his deputy on Monday (1 September), as…

Sir Keir’s backing for Angela Rayner comes amid continued criticism of her purchase of an £800,000 flat in Hove