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Sunday, Jan 18, 2026

Keir Starmer Defends Angela Rayner Amid Tax Investigation, Accuses Rishi Sunak of 'Smearing'

Keir Starmer, the Labour Party leader, accused Rishi Sunak of disparaging Angela Rayner, a working-class Labour deputy leader, over her tax affairs.
Police are investigating Rayner following allegations she failed to pay tax on profits from a house sale.

Starmer supports Rayner, who intends to step down if found guilty.

The Conservatives demand Rayner disclose legal advice proving her innocence.

During Prime Minister's Questions, Starmer criticized Liz Truss for her recently published book, "Ten Years to Save the West." The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, made light of Rishi Sunak's signed copy of Boris Johnson's autobiography, joking that he himself owned a rare unsigned copy.

Starmer criticized Johnson for calling the Tory Party's budget, which caused chaos for millions, "the happiest moment of [his] premiership." Sunak responded by mocking Starmer for spending too much time reading Angela Rayner's tax advice instead of the book.

Starmer defended Rayner, who was seated behind him, against Sunak's accusations of tax avoidance and welcomed the police inquiry into the matter.

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour Party leader, is facing criticism from Conservatives for not publicly requesting to see the tax and legal advice given to Anneliese Dodds, his shadow chancellor, regarding her second job.

Starmer's team has stated that they have already seen the advice and confirmed that Dodds followed the rules.

They denied accusations that Starmer had avoided reading the advice to protect himself.
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