Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister resigns, accused of tax evasion

Desk Reports:

Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has resigned. She was accused of tax evasion. When Rayner was accused, British Prime Minister Starmer gave her full support. But on Friday, Rayner resigned after admitting the charges against her. An independent commission of inquiry in the country concluded that she failed to meet the ethical standards of a minister.

The incident is a fresh blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, according to a Reuters report. Rainer, 45, is the eighth and most senior minister to resign from Starmer’s party.

Angela Rayner said in her resignation letter to Starmer, “I did not seek expert advice on tax matters after purchasing a new home. For this I regret… I take full responsibility for this mistake.”

In response to the resignation letter, Starmer said he was deeply saddened by Rayner’s departure from the government, but that he had made the right decision.

The Labour Party has fallen behind the populist Reform UK Party in recent polls, posing a further challenge to Starmer’s leadership and rebuilding the party’s image. Critics have already accused Labour leaders of taking expensive clothes and concert tickets from donors.

Losing a leader like the deputy prime minister is particularly damaging for Starmer, because Rayner, who rose from a working-class teenage mother to the top of politics, had built bridges between the right and left wings of the Labour Party. She was also more popular than Starmer.

Although sometimes seen as a potential successor to Starmer, Rayner himself on Wednesday requested an investigation into tax evasion by the Cabinet’s independent ethics adviser.

In an interview, almost tearfully, he said he had set up a trust to support his son, who had suffered lifelong disabilities. He sold his share of the family home to the trust and bought a flat in the southern seaside town of Hove in England, thinking the extra tax on buying a second home would not apply to him.

But he later admitted, after seeking new legal advice, that it was his mistake. He is now in the process of paying the outstanding taxes.

A total of eight ministers and state ministers, including Rayner, resigned from Starmer’s government early on. Five of them left office over various irregularities. No British prime minister since 1979 has lost so many ministers at the start of his term. This is more than Boris Johnson, who was embroiled in the ‘Covid lockdown breaching party scandal’.

The incident leaves Starmer vulnerable ahead of the difficult task of formulating a budget at the end of the year. Analysts believe that the new budget could include additional tax increases. On the other hand, the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has also become a major threat to him.

Related posts

Leave a Comment