Rayner tax row 'a storm in a teacup', says party colleague

A shadow minister has dismissed allegations about Angela Rayner's previous living arrangements as a "storm in a teacup" and rejected suggestions of "double standards" over her tax affairs amid a police investigation.

- NINA LLOYD

Jim McMahon bolstered Labour’s defence of the deputy leader yesterday after Conservative Party deputy chair James Daly suggested she may have given false information about her main residence. Mr McMahon said it was unfair to compare Ms Rayner’s situation to the pandemic-era scandal involving former prime minister Boris Johnson, whom she called on to resign while Scotland Yard probed claims of Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street.

Ms Rayner has said she will “do the right thing and step down” if she is found to have committed a crime in relation to her living situation a decade ago but remains confident she has followed the law at all times. The Tories have accused her of “double standards” as she remains in post after Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed it would investigate claims that she may have broken electoral law.

Appearing on yesterday morning’s broadcast round, Mr McMahon said “we can’t compare the two situations at all” when asked about parallels being drawn between Ms Rayner’s position and Mr Johnson’s.