Angela Rayner ducked criticising Keir Starmer as she broke her silence in the House of Commons today following her bombshell resignation in September. Ms Rayner was forced to quit government last month after the PM’s ethics adviser found she had underpaid tax on a second home in Brighton.
The former deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary vowed to keep fighting for the causes she believes in, adding: “My title may have changed but the strength and the character of the people of my constituency have not.” The Greater Manchester MP lamented: “The last few weeks have been incredibly tough on my family, with my personal life so much in the public eye. All of us in public life know all too well the toll the intensity of the scrutiny we face puts on our loved ones.”
Confirming she would pay all the tax she owes on the luxury Brighton seafront apartment, she pinned the blame on the “complex tax position” faced by parents of disabled children who divorce and then look for new properties.
She added: “If there’s one good thing that comes out this I hope other families in the same situation are now aware of that and avoid getting themselves into the same position I am now in.”
Ms Rayner said that serving at the top tier of British politics had been a “privilege”, not because of the titles and the perks but because of the ability to help those in need.
She cited a roster of achievements during her short time in government, including the Employment Rights Bill, the Hillsborough Law, and the “biggest investment in social housing in a generation”.
Appearing to lobby for a return to government in the coming years, Ms Rayner said Sir Keir Starmer has “the opportunity to write a new chapter of justice and fairness for working people.”
“In each generation, it has fallen to a Labour government to strengthen the hand of working people. In 1945 it was maternity pay, the NHS and homes for heroes out of the ruins of war. In the 1970s, it was Barbara Castle and the fight for equal pay. And in the 90s it was the national minimum wage.
“As tough as politics can be, it is nothing compared to what thousands of my constituents and this country face every single day.
“Elected office is not about us about the chance to change the lives of others. Wherever I sit on these elected benches, I will fight with everything I have to do exactly that.”
A number of Cabinet ministers used their Liverpool conference speeches to call on Ms Rayner to make a return to frontline politics despite the circumstances of her resignation.
