Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has backed Angela Rayner after she admitted an underpayment of stamp duty on a flat in Hove. He said he was proud to stand alongside his deputy at Prime Minister’s Questions and supported her decision to refer herself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards.

Rayner, who is Housing Secretary, said initial legal advice had suggested she owed standard stamp duty, but further guidance from a leading tax counsel indicated additional liabilities because a trust created in 2020 for her disabled son meant the property could not be treated as her only home. Media reports had claimed she saved about £40,000 on stamp duty by removing her name from deeds relating to a family home in Ashton-under-Lyne while spending time at the family house in the constituency.

Her disclosures followed a court order being lifted that allowed details about her property arrangements to be published. The Prime Minister’s Office would not say when he was informed or whether he had seen the legal advice. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch urged her sack, while Downing Street said Sir Keir has confidence in Rayner and that a decision will be made by the independent adviser. Some Labour MPs gave mixed views about her future, noting that she remains a prominent figure in the party and is credited with key policy work.