Rayner Tax details cannot legally be revealed - No 10

Angela Rayner cannot be fully transparent about the tax arrangements on her second home because there is a court order barring her from revealing the relevant information, Downing Street said yesterday.

- Kiran Stacey

The deputy prime minister has been under scrutiny for days over her purchase of a flat in Hove and whether she deliberately arranged her financial situation to avoid paying tax.

Rayner has not commented personally on the controversy, though colleagues have said she says she has done nothing wrong.

Downing Street revealed yesterday that one reason for her silence was that there was a court order in place that made it difficult for her to speak on the matter.

"There is a court order which restricts her from providing further information, which she's urgently working on rectifying in the interests of public transparency," No 10 said.

Last week, the Conservative party chair, Kevin Hollinrake, wrote to Laurie Magnus, the prime minister's adviser on ministerial interests, asking him to investigate whether or not Rayner had broken ministerial rules.

Officials say Magnus has not begun an investigation, suggesting he does not believe there is enough evidence to warrant further inquiry.