Rayner scandal screams of entitlement, says Farage

Angela Rayner’s resignation shows this government is “as bad - if not worse - than the one that went before”, Nigel Farage has told the Reform UK party conference in his main address.

- MILLIE COOKE POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Ms Rayner sensationally quit yesterday as deputy prime minister and housing secretary just one hour before Mr Farage took to the stage in Birmingham.

Capitalising on the chaos within government, the Reform UK leader said the scandal “screams entitlement”. He added: “It screams to a government that despite all the promises that this would be a new, different kind of politics is as bad - if not worse than the one that went before.”

He said he had brought forward his keynote speech at Reform UK’s party conference after Ms Rayner’s resignation because the government is “deep in crisis” and “not fit to govern”. He also said Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet was full of “wholly unqualified people” and joked about Ms Rayner being “an accomplished property developer and speculator”.

The deputy prime minister had faced mounting pressure to stand down over recent days after admitting she underpaid stamp duty by £40,000 on the flat she bought earlier this year.