'Britain deserves better': MPs react as Angela Rayner resigns

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has said Angela Rayner’s position was “untenable for days” after the Deputy Prime Minister admitted she underpaid stamp duty on a flat she bought in Hove earlier this year.

In a video posted on X, Ms Badenoch said: "Angela Rayner is finally gone. It says everything about Keir Starmer’s weak leadership that he had to wait for a report before acting.

"The truth is simple, she dodged tax. She lied about it. Her position was untenable for days.

"Keir Starmer once promised honesty and integrity in politics, but when faced with this test, he hesitated: no principles, no backbone.

"We Conservatives forced this investigation and were vindicated. But this isn’t the end. Questions remain. What did Keir Starmer know and when did he mislead the public?"

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage declared "it was inevitable".

He added: "You're going to see the hard left of Labour shouting very very loudly."

"Mark my words, in week there will be splits within the Labour Party," he said.

Reform’s Zia Yusuf has told LBC that Angela Rayner is guilty of “hypocrisy” after “hounding out” politicians over their own tax affairs.

Mr Yusuf told Natasha Clark: "I think it's really important that politicians play by the rules. That's the key thing.

"And if you look at Angela Rayner, she by her own admission has said that she has underpaid tax. It's difficult to have sympathy when she has personally hounded out of office many, many politicians on the basis of this exact thing.

"So we talk about hypocrisy. That's exactly what it is".

In her resignation letter to the Prime Minister, Rayner wrote: "I have always taken my responsibilities as Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, as well as a Member of Parliament with the utmost seriousness.

"I have long believed that people who serve the British public in government must always observe the highest standards, and while the Independent Adviser has concluded that I acted in good faith and with honesty and integrity throughout, I accept that I did not meet the highest standards in relation to my recent property purchase.

"I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice given both my position as Housing Secretary and my complex family arrangements. I take full responsibility for this error."