Starmer has no 'backbone' say Tories amid calls to sack Rayner over stamp duty storm
Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer of having no 'backbone' amid calls for Angela Rayner to step down over stamp duty paid on her Brighton property.
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A heated Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday saw the Tory leader take aim at both Ms Rayner and the PM, accusing Sir Keir of lacking a 'backbone' as he continued to defend the housing secretary.
"If he had backbone, he would sack her," Ms Badenoch insisted, as the PM shrugged off calls to sack his deputy amid mounting pressure.
It comes hours after the Deputy Prime Minister admitted that she underpaid stamp duty on her £800,000 seaside flat.
She has admitted to incorrectly paying the lower rate on the apartment in Hove - a move that could potentially save the Labour MP nearly £40,000.
Speaking from the dispatch box, Sir Keir insisted his deputy had already "explained her personal circumstances in detail."
"She's gone over and above in setting out the details, including yesterday afternoon asking a court to lift a confidentiality order in relation to her own son," Sir Keir continued.
The PM added that he understood "just how difficult" the decision was but she did so in order to uphold the highest levels of transparency.
It's a response that saw Ms Badenoch respond by suggesting she is "not sure we would've heard all that sympathy if it was a Conservative deputy prime minister".
Ms Rayner has now referred herself to the PM's ethics adviser after details of the stamp duty payments were confirmed.
She has since claimed she received incorrect tax advice, amid suggestions she has spoken to her family about "packing it all in".
It comes as PMQs saw the Tory leader hit back at Sir Keir, suggesting his "incompetence is hurting real people".
"I am very proud to sit alongside a deputy prime minister who is building 1.5m homes, who is bringing the biggest upgrade to workers rights in a generation, and has come from a working class background to become deputy prime minister of this country," Sir Keir insisted in the Commons.
The exchange saw Ms Badenoch quote Sir Keir, who had previously stated that tax evasion is a criminal offence.
He is also quoted as saying that it should be treated in the same vein as any other fraud.
Ms Badenoch continued: "If he had backbone, he would sack her."
Hitting back at suggestions he is a weak leader, the PM insisted: "If it had been the party opposite [the Tories], there wouldn't have been the accountability that there now is in place because they spent years and years avoiding it."
Ms Rayner avoided the additional stamp duty on the flat in Hove after she was seen to remove her name from the deeds of another property she owned in Greater Manchester.
In a lengthy statement released by Ms Rayner, she said: “I've been in shock, really, because I thought I'd done everything properly, and I relied on the advice that I received and I'm devastated because I've always upheld the rules and always have felt proud to do that.”
She also admitted to raising the subject of quitting to her family.
“I spoke to my ex-husband, who has been an incredibly supportive person because he knows that all I've done is try and support my family and help them," Ms Rayner said.
She said she "deeply regrets" her error and is "committed to resolving this matter fully and providing the transparency that public service demands" and added that she will pay what is due.