Cabinet crowd into Commons for Rayner's resignation speech

Senior Labour figures packed into the Commons as ex-deputy prime minister Angela Rayner gave her resignation speech, a month after admitting she underpaid stamp duty.

Rayner said the past few weeks had been "incredibly tough" on her family, but said she will "take responsibility" for her mistake.

The Commons was packed with Cabinet ministers including - including Rachel Reeves, David Lammy and Bridget Phillipson, but not Sir Keir Starmer - as Rayner called for Labour to be "bold" in power.

Rayner quit in September after the prime minister's ethics adviser said she breached the ministerial code by failing to get tax advice when buying a new house, despite warnings about her complex finances.

It is customary for ministers who have quit the frontbench to make a formal resignation speech in the Commons when an appropriate opportunity arises.

Rayner chose to make her speech before the final stages of the Renters Rights Bill - one of her former department's flagship pieces of legislation.

In a major show of support, Labour MPs backed the benches to hear the speech - including her replacement as housing secretary Steeve Reed and Labour's Chief Whip Jonthan Reynolds.

The 45-year-old had acknowledged she had not paid enough tax when buying her East Sussex flat and said the "mistake" came about because she believed it was the only property she owned.

However, due to complex arrangements surrounding a trust for her disabled son, the Hove flat should have been considered to be Rayner's second home - meaning she should have paid an additional £40,000 in stamp duty.

At the time, Rayner said she had sought legal advice when making the purchase but that it had failed to "properly take account" of her circumstances.

But Sir Laurie Magnus, the prime minister's ethics adviser, found she had relied on incomplete guidance which had come with a clear warning to seek specialist advice.

Following her resignation Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hinted she could return to government.

Speaking on LBC, Sir Keir said: "When Ange stepped down that she had been a major voice in the labour movement and that she would be a major voice for many years to come."

Health Secretary Wes Streeting used his speech at Labour's annual conference to say Labour "wants her back and needs her back".

Speaking in the Commons, Rayner said she hoped her case would raise awareness of the "complex" tax rules facing divorced parents of disabled children.

"If there is one good thing that can come out of this, I hope other families in this situation may now avoid getting into the position I am in," she said.

Rayne said she was "corresponding with the HMRC" over the right amount of tax she must pay.

"This was an honestly made mistake, but when you make a mistake, you take responsibility," she said.

"To serve at the highest level of government was a privilege, not for the title or the office, but for the chance to change the lives.

Rayner, whose hands were shaking as she read her statement, said: "The last few weeks have been incredibly tough on my family, with my personal life so much in the public eye.

"All of us in public life know all too well the toll of the intense scrutiny we face places on our loved ones."

Rayner's resignation marked a dramatic fall for one of Labour's most high-profile figures, who had been widely tipped as a future leadership contender.

The highest profile working class member and union representative in government she was seen as a key bridge between Sir Keir Starmer's government and the party's grassroots.

Rayner spoke of being "written off" as a teenage mother and of fighting her whole life to prove people wrong during her speech.

In office, she played a central role in shaping Labour's flagship housing and workers' rights agenda.

Reflecting on her work in government, Rayner highlighted the forthcoming Employment Rights Bill as "a game changer for millions stuck in insecure and low paid work".

Her voice cracked as she spoke about the Grenfell Tower fire survivors, as she made reference to the public inquiry.

Rayner also paid tribute to colleagues and constituents, saying serving in government had been "the honour of my life".

She offered her successor "congratulations and support" and vowed to remain a strong voice in Parliament.

But Rayner insisted her commitment to the party's mission was undimmed: "From wherever I sit on these benches, I will fight with everything I have."

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