Sir Keir Starmer has rowed in behind deputy leader Angela Rayner, despite ongoing questions about her capital gains tax row.
A new book about Ms Rayner suggests that Ms Rayner may not have been the principal residence of a house she owned at the time, a fact that could have had an impact on how much tax she owed when it was sold.
Tax experts have said that the Labour deputy could owe thousands if she didn’t pay the right amount when selling up.
Being grilled by The Sun last night, Sir Keir Starmer was asked whether he really believes that Angela Rayner lived apart from her husband for five years while her brother lived with her husband.
Sir Keir says he does believe Ms Rayner, and she has “explained herself”.
He said: “She has taken legal advice and tax advice and has been assured.”
Asked whether Labour will publish said legal advice, Sir Keir said it’s a matter for Ms Rayner but emphatically said: “I believe her.”
Ms Rayner’s former neighbours have said she is lying about her living situation, going on the record to say her story is not true.
Sir Keir dodged this point, reiterating: “Angela’s explained herself, she’s taken legal advice and tax advice, and they’re absolutely clear there’s no tax to pay. I think that’s the long and the short of it.”
The Labour leader also warned that publishing the tax advice Ms Rayner received could breach her privacy, speculating: “For all I know, the advice might go into the personal circumstances of her living arrangements.
“I respect basic privacy. There are issues there about her son I think and I’m very protective of my own children and I’m perfectly willing to protect the privacy of others who want to protect their own children.”
At this point Sir Keir revealed that he doesn’t know what Angela Rayner’s position on the legal advice is, and is taking her word.
Asked whether he’s seen the legal advice, the former lawyer confessed: “No, I haven’t.”
His grilling on the issue comes just hours after Ms Rayner told Newsnight that she is a victim of a “smear” and insisted there had been “no wrongdoing… no unlawfulness”.
She fumed: “It is a non-story manufactured to try and smear me.”
Earlier this month, Greater Manchester Police said there was no evidence that any offence had been committed, after a Tory MP asked them to investigate whether she had given false information.
She slammed the attack by the MP, saying: “I’ve been very clear there’s no rules broken. They [the Conservatives] tried to manufacture a police investigation.
“[The police] said there are no issues there. I got tax advice which says there was no capital gains tax. It’s a non-story manufactured to try and smear me.”
