The United Kingdom’s Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has stepped down after a probe found she violated the ministerial code for underpaying tax on her flat, prompting a broader cabinet reshuffle and throwing the Labour Party deeper into turmoil.
In a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday, Rayner conceded she “did not meet the highest standards” and would resign from her roles as housing minister and deputy leader of Labour.
“I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice,” said Rayner, having last week admitted to underpaying a surcharge on the flat. She said she took “full responsibility for this error”.
Starmer replied that he was “very sad” to lose her from government, but added: “You will remain a major figure in our party.”
The resignation of Rayner – who was popular with working-class voters and a skilful mediator between Labour’s left and centrist wings – is a major blow to Starmer, whose government has endured a series of crises since taking power in July 2024 and now trails hard right firebrand Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party in national polls.
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“In losing her, Keir Starmer loses perhaps the closest link the Labour Party has to its working-class roots,” reported Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull from Birmingham in the UK.
Rayner’s departure came shortly ahead of UK media reports that several other cabinet members had been fired – House of Commons leader Lucy Powell and Scotland secretary Ian Murray.
In a post on X, Powell said Starmer had told her he intended to replace her with a new Commons leader.
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[Aljazeera]
