Keir Starmer in Angela Rayner tax ‘hypocrisy’ row after refusing to say she should quit

Sir Keir vigorously defended his deputy despite ongoing tax questions (Image: PA)

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of “hypocrisy” after refusing to say whether Angela Rayner should be held to the same standards his party expects from opposition MPs.

Ms Rayner is under fire for her taxes again today, after Greater Manchester Police said it is now reassessing its decision not to investigate allegations she gave false information on official documents.

After a gruelling set of interviews this morning, Ms Rayner joined Sir Keir Starmer for the launch of Labour’s local elections campaign despite having questions still to answer about her tax affairs.

Following Sir Keir’s pitch to the country, the Express pressed the Labour leader over whether he would hold Ms Rayner to the same high standards that she and he have demanded from Conservative politicians.

Awkwardly for Ms Rayner, last year she called for the resignation of then-Tory Chairman Nadhim Zahawi when he was facing tax questions of his own.

Ms Rayner said: “I believe his position is untenable. If he’s lied and misled the public and HMRC regarding his tax affairs then I think his position is untenable.”

Given Sir Keir himself promised to resign if found guilty of breaking lockdown laws amid the ‘Beergate’ scandal, this paper demanded to know whether he believes his deputy should resign if found guilty of any misdemeanour by Greater Manchester Police.

Sir Keir refused to say she should, telling the audience: “Angela has answered I don’t know how many questions about this.

“She’s not broken any rules, she’s taken legal and tax advice which has satisfied her and us and me about the position.

“I think when I look at this in the round - and it goes back to Beergate - the fact that the Tory Party is spending more of its time and energy pursuing this issue rather than answering the question about accountability for what they’ve done after 14 years as we go into an election tells you everything you need to know about them.”

The Express pressed Sir Keir at his local election campaign launch (Image: PA)

Despite citing supposed legal and tax advice, Sir Keir also made clear that not only is his party going to publish it, a spokesman later confirmed that the Labour leader still hasn’t read it himself and is instead relying on Ms Rayner’s word.

Following Sir Keir’s refusal to commit Ms Rayner to resign if found to have broken any rules, Nadhim Zahawi’s former advisor has now told the Express that it smacks of ‘classic politician hypocrisy’.

James Price, Mr Zahawi’s top advisor in the Treasury, said: “This is the kind of classic hypocrisy from politicians that voters absolutely hate.

“Ms Rayner was happy to throw accusations around about my old boss, but it turns out that she has many questions to answer of her own.

“The big difference is that Zahawi led the world-leading vaccine rollout that saved lives, and then organised the Queen's funeral; Ms Rayner's main achievement seems to have been shouting 'scum' at her Tory opponents across the House of Commons.”

Asked by the Today Programme this morning why she is refusing to publish her tax advice, Ms Rayner said: “Because that's my personal tax advice. But I'm happy to comply with the necessary authorities that want to see that.”

She added that if Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt and other Tory politicians did so, she would follow their lead.

She added: “If you show me yours, then I'll show you mine.”

The allegations first emerged in February ahead of a biography being published by Lord Ashcroft.