Keir Starmer publicly backs Angela Rayner over tax row as he steps out with Labour deputy

By Christian Calgie, Senior Political Correspondent

The pair put on a display of public defiance this lunchtime (Image: PA)

Sir Keir Starmer has shown a public display of defiance today, appearing side-by-side with Angela Rayner.

His under-siege deputy joined him for a walkabout in Derby, where they visited a housing development to launch the party’s new “golden rules” for housebuilding should they win the election.

Ms Rayner and Sir Keir were both seen wearing high-vis jackets and hard hats at the Nightingale Quarter of the city.

They then took off the builders’ outfits before stepping into a local resident’s kitchen for a chat.

The pair’s outing comes after a tumultuous week for Ms Rayner, who remains at the centre of a storm about her home around 10 years ago and whether she broke electoral laws and dodged capital gains tax.

The pair visited a housing development in Derby (Image: PA)

Labour is defending its embattled deputy (Image: PA)

Amid Ms Rayner adamantly saying she is innocent, it was revealed that around a dozen Greater Manchester Police officers are probing ‘multiple’ possible offences.

It also emerged that Labour destroyed key documents that could have shone a light on Ms Rayner’s living arrangements when she was selected as a Labour candidate in 2014.

This morning it was revealed that Ms Rayner’s eldest son was registered to live at her then-husband’s address on Lowndes Lane, which Ms Rayner says wasn’t her main residence.

Labour this week admitted to destroying documents about Ms Rayner's housing situation (Image: PA)

Ms Rayner has promised to quit if found guilty (Image: PA)

However Labour insists that this latest claim does “not contradict anything” in Ms Rayner’s previous statements.

They add: “The rules were followed at all time”.

Ms Rayner has promised to resign if the police find her guilty of any wrongdoing.