Angela Rayner cleared in HMRC tax probe, removing hurdle to Labour leadership bid
Former UK deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has been cleared of wrongdoing by HMRC following an investigation into unpaid property tax, she told the Guardian and ITV News. The probe, launched last fall, had prompted her resignation as deputy leader. The clearance removes a potential obstacle as Health Secretary Wes Streeting is expected to launch a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Keir Starmer as soon as Thursday.
Former UK deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has been cleared of wrongdoing by HMRC following an investigation into unpaid property tax, removing a potential obstacle to a Labour leadership bid as Health Secretary Wes Streeting is expected to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer as soon as Thursday.
Rayner told the Guardian and ITV News that HMRC concluded she "didn't try to avoid paying tax" and "wasn't careless in the way in which I conducted myself." The investigation was launched last fall, prompting Rayner to resign as deputy leader — a post she had held as the party's elected deputy leader since 2020.
Rayner is seen as a standard bearer of the soft left of the Labour Party and is popular with grassroots members. Allies of the former Cabinet minister have made clear she would be prepared to stand in a leadership contest if required. When asked by ITV about her ambitions, Rayner said: "I want us to pull together. I've said we have to do better and we all have to pay our part in that, and I will play my part in delivering on that."
The clearance comes at a crucial time, with Starmer's leadership under threat after Labour's local election losses earlier this month. Streeting is widely expected to launch a leadership challenge against the prime minister as soon as Thursday.