ED Balls has slammed “hypocritical” Angela Rayner over her stamp duty row after she demanded others to resign for their mistakes.
The former Labour shadow Chancellor blasted the Deputy Prime Minister for not leaving office.
AlamyAngela Rayner has been branded ‘hypocritical’[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialEd Balls claimed the Deputy PM should resign[/caption]
AFPSir Keir Starmer has refused to say whether he will sack Rayner[/caption]
He told the Political Currency podcast that Rayner has been “hypocritical” amid the escalating tax row.
Good Morning Britain host Balls, married to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, said: “I think there is sympathy for her personal situation, but Angela Rayner was the person who was on the moral high ground demanding others resign.
“And it’s hypocritical of her [to have] one rule for everybody else, a different rule for her, for her not to resign.”
Even ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who propelled her into the shadow Cabinet, said she had made an “enormous mistake”.
Jeremy Clarkson is the latest to comment on the debate, as he wrote on X: “Crikey. The deputy prime minister of the UK has admitted she doesn’t understand how tax works.
“I wonder what else she doesn’t understand.”
It comes as Rayner’s bid to cling to her job was dealt a hammer blow by her own solicitors.
The Deputy PM had tried to blame bad legal advice for failing to pay £40,000 of stamp duty.
But the small family firm she used, Verrico and Associates, said it had based its calculations on info Rayner herself provided. The firm added it had been made “scapegoats”.
Ms Rayner paid £30,000 instead of the full £70,000 on her pad in Hove, near Brighton — which has since had graffiti daubed outside calling her a “tax evader”.
The Prime Minister refused five times yesterday to say if he will sack his No2, insisting he would act on the findings of a sleaze probe.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch blasted the PM’s refusal to fire her.
She said: “How many final straws can there be for Angela Rayner? She must resign or Keir Starmer must finally find the backbone to sack her.”
But the controversy deepened with a damning intervention by the boss of conveyancing firm Verrico & Associates, who said they have been made a scapegoat and she “had arrows stuck in her back” over the scandal.
PARayner admitted she made a ‘mistake’ on Wednesday[/caption]
PAGraffiti daubed outside the apartment building in Hove, East Sussex[/caption]
PA‘Tax evader Rayner’ was spray painted outside her £800,000 seaside property[/caption]
Joanna Verrico said: “We did not and never have given tax or trust advice.
“It’s something we always refer our clients to an accountant or tax expert for.
“The stamp duty for the Hove flat was calculated using HMRC’s own online calculator based on the figures and the information provided by Ms Rayner.
“That’s what we used and it told us we had to pay £30,000 based on the information provided to us.
“We believe that we did everything correctly and in good faith.
“Everything was exactly as it should be.”
She added: “We probably are being made scapegoats for all this and I’ve got the arrows stuck in my back to show it.”
Meanwhile, Tories attacked Sir Keir for not firing Ms Rayner, who they labelled a “hypocrite” after she called for multiple sackings over tax issues when she was in opposition.
The PM said he would wait for the report from the ethics adviser before deciding what to do about his deputy, who is also the Housing Secretary.
But he repeatedly refused to say whether he would sack her if she was found to have breached the ministerial code.
He told the BBC: “There’s a clear procedure.
“I strengthened that procedure.
“I’m expecting a result pretty quickly.
“I do want it to be comprehensive . . . and then of course I’ll act on whatever the report is that’s put in front of me.”
Ms Rayner’s purchase saw her nicknamed “Three Pads” as it came on top of her family constituency home in Greater Manchester and her grace-and-favour central London pad.
Before buying it, she removed herself from the deeds of her family property, though that is still listed as her primary residence.
This meant she did not pay the full second-home stamp duty.
Graffiti outside her new seaside apartment building yesterday read “tax exader”.
Daubings over the road also said: “Tax evader Rayner” and “Rayner tax avoidance.”
Before buyiung the £800,000 flat, she removed herself from the deeds of her constituency home, so did not pay the full second home stamp duty.
It emerged yesterday she sought new legal advice last Friday evening following days of speculation about whether she had paid enough tax.
On Monday evening, her advisers appeared to suggest that previous advice had been incorrect and she owed more.
But earlier that day Sir Keir defended Ms Rayner, saying she was a victim of a briefing war, despite being aware she sought advice.
It was unclear whether she got advice from the most senior civil servant in the Housing Department.
It was only on Wednesday that she referred herself to the sleaze watchdog, saying she made a “mistake”.
AFPThe PM said he would wait until the findings of the investigation had been confirmed[/caption]
Dan CharityMs Rayner paid £30,000 instead of the full £70,000 on her pad in Hove, near Brighton[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
