Angela Rayner has resigned as deputy prime minister, housing secretary and deputy chief of the Labour Occasion.
She wrote to her boss, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, to tender her resignation.
Right here is the letter in full – and what he stated in response:
Pricey Keir,
Thanks for the non-public and public assist you will have proven me in current days.
As , on Wednesday I referred myself to your impartial adviser on ministerial requirements, Sir Laurie Magnus, to conduct a radical investigation into my private monetary circumstances after I turned conscious that it’s possible I inadvertently paid the wrong charge for stamp responsibility land tax (SDLT).
I’ve all the time taken my tasks as deputy prime minister, secretary of state for housing, communities and native authorities, in addition to a member of parliament with the utmost seriousness.
I’ve lengthy believed that individuals who serve the British public in authorities should all the time observe the very best requirements, and whereas the impartial adviser has concluded that I acted in good religion and with honesty and integrity all through, I settle for that I didn’t meet the very best requirements in relation to my current property buy.
I deeply remorse my choice to not search extra specialist tax recommendation given each my place as housing secretary and my advanced household preparations.
I take full accountability for this error.
I want to take this chance to repeat that it was by no means my intention to do something apart from pay the correct amount.
I need to additionally think about the numerous toll that the continued strain of the media is taking over my household.
Whereas I rightly count on correct scrutiny on me and my life, my household didn’t select to have their personal lives interrogated and uncovered so publicly.
I’ve been clear all through this course of that my precedence has, and all the time shall be, defending my youngsters and the pressure I’m placing them below by means of staying in submit has develop into insufferable.
Given the findings, and the affect on my household, I’ve subsequently determined to resign as deputy prime minister and secretary of state for housing, communities and native authorities, in addition to deputy chief of the Labour Occasion.
For a teenage mum from a council property in Stockport to function the very best degree of presidency has been the honour of my life.
The challenges of presidency are nothing in comparison with the problem of placing meals on the desk and getting a roof over our head once I introduced up youngsters working as a house assist. Too many individuals face the identical throughout our nation.
I’ve all the time identified that politics adjustments lives as a result of it modified mine.
The final Labour authorities gave me the instruments I wanted to construct a greater life for me and my younger son, and that is why I have been working relentlessly from day one in authorities to do the identical for the subsequent era.
On daily basis I had in workplace, I labored to serve working class communities just like the one which I grew up in, that are too typically missed by these in energy.
I’m proud that in each choice I made, I did it for them.
I’d by no means have develop into deputy prime minister if not for the selections taken by the final Labour authorities, giving me a council home to assist me, Positive Begin to assist increase my youngsters, and the safety of a minimal wage – and I can solely hope that the adjustments I made in authorities may have the identical affect for younger women rising up on council estates like I did.
Via my Employment Rights Invoice individuals throughout the nation will obtain the most important uplift in employees’ rights in a era. This landmark laws shall be game-changing for hundreds of thousands of individuals caught in insecure and low-paid work, giving them the dignity and safety they do not simply want but additionally deserve.
I’m and can stay deeply happy with that legacy. I’m so proud to have labored alongside the commerce union motion, who’ve given me all the pieces, to ship that.
Our Renters’ Rights Invoice will lastly ban the oppressive rule of no-fault evictions and can reset the stability between renters and landlords by means of groundbreaking safety for renters. Everybody deserves to dwell in a protected and first rate house, and I do know this laws will ship that for hundreds of thousands of individuals throughout the nation.
The Planning and Infrastructure Invoice may even be instrumental in getting the properties so many individuals throughout this nation want constructed, and I’m so proud that on the spending assessment we introduced the most important funding in social and inexpensive housing in a era with the overwhelming quantity of this going to genuinely social hire properties.
And final week, I launched the English Devolution Invoice to Parliament. The biggest single package deal of devolution from any Westminster authorities to native individuals throughout England. This landmark laws will completely change the stability of energy, giving true management to these with pores and skin in sport.
We delivered an elections technique which can imply 16 and 17 12 months olds getting the vote for the primary time, in addition to bold plans to make sure probably the most marginalised communities are registered to vote.
We took steps to stabilise the damaged foundations of native authorities and ship the primary genuinely truthful funding assessment and the primary multi-year settlement for a decade.
My division, by means of my wonderful workforce of ministers, has additionally supplied the most important ever in homelessness prevention companies to native authorities, to get Britain again on observe to ending homelessness for good.
We have labored relentlessly to convey an finish to the constructing security disaster and developed new measures to get peoples’ properties mounted faster and maintain rogue freeholders to account.
We have additionally labored to spice up neighborhood cohesion, deal with hate crime, and reset the connection with religion communities.
I’ve been fortunate to work alongside probably the most gifted group of ministers who labored with dedication to ship for working individuals.
I thank Matthew Pennycook, Jim McMahon, Alex Norris, Wajid Khan, and Sharon Taylor.
I too am grateful to my sensible parliamentary workforce, Harpreet Uppal, Mark Ferguson, and Gen Kitchen.
For me, being in workplace is the possibility to alter the lives of the individuals I grew up alongside. I’ll do no matter I can to proceed doing so.
Thanks on your management and on your friendship. I’ll proceed to serve you, our nation and the get together and motion I really like within the weeks, months and years forward.
Yours sincerely,
Angela
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7:19
Rayner admits she did not pay sufficient tax
Sir Keir Starmer’s handwritten letter to Angela Rayner in full:
Pricey Angela
Thanks for informing me of your choice to resign from the federal government.
I’m very unhappy that your time as deputy prime minister, secretary of state and deputy chief of the Labour get together has ended this manner.
As we acted in accordance with the strengthened system regarding ministerial conduct that we put in place on coming into authorities.
You have been proper to refer your self to the impartial adviser on ministerial requirements and proper to behave on his conclusion.
Though I consider you will have reached the best choice, it’s a choice which I do know could be very painful for you.
You have got given your all to creating the Labour authorities a hit and you’ve got been a central a part of our plan to make Britain fairer for working households.
Your work at MHCLG (the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Native Authorities) to assist construct the properties that Britain wants has been vastly vital and your work to create extra equity within the office by means of the employment rights invoice represents a really vital achievement that may change the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals.
On a private word, I’m very unhappy to be shedding you from the federal government.
You have got been a trusted colleague and a real buddy for a few years.
I’ve nothing however admiration for you and large respect on your achievement in politics.
I do know that many individuals of all political persuasions admire that somebody as gifted as you is the dwelling embodiment of social mobility.
Regardless that you will not be a part of the federal government, you’ll stay a significant determine in our get together. I do know you’ll proceed to combat for the causes you care so passionately about.
My best needs and with actual disappointment,
Keir
