After the resignation of his deputy prime minister, Keir Starmer moves further right
Embroiled in a tax avoidance scandal, Angela Rayner, a leading figure in the Labour Party, was forced to resign from her post on Friday, September 5. Her departure paves the way for a tougher approach to immigration and the watering down of social measures, according to the London press.
"Sinking," gargled the tabloid The Sun on Saturday, September 6, the day after Angela Rayner's resignation. The Labour Deputy Prime Minister, a figure on the left wing of her party, was swept away by petty tax arrangements deemed incompatible, by a Downing Street ethics officer, with her duties.
Responsible for housing issues, the number two in the British government avoided paying 40,000 pounds of “stamp duty” (the equivalent of transfer tax) on the purchase of an 800,000 pound (920,000 euros) house in Hove, a wealthy town next to the seaside resort of Brighton. “She settled for the rate applicable to main residences, without paying the supplement allocated to second homes,” explains The Daily Telegraph, conservative daily newspaper that broke the revelations.
However, the Evening Standard explains , the 45-year-old trade unionist has retained “ties to her home in Ashton-under-Lyne,” near Manchester, due to a unique arrangement she made with her ex-husband after their divorce in 2023, so that their children could continue to live there. Despite her name being removed from the deed earlier this year, Angela Rayner admitted 'mistake' before leaving office
Courrier International
