Cachella Smith
Live reporter

Image source, PA Media

The government remains in a holding pattern this evening following Angela Rayner's self-referral to the independent ethics adviser after she admitted to underpaying the stamp duty on her flat in Hove.

Prominent ministers, including Chancellor Rachel Reeves, came out at the start of the day in support of the housing minister - drawing attention to the steps she has taken to rectify the matter and the personal circumstances surrounding the purchase of the flat.

Criticism, however, has continued to be levelled towards the deputy prime minister.

There has also been widespread condemnation after graffiti was found in locations close to Rayner's flat in Hove featuring phrases including "tax evader".

The prime minister was among those who criticised the vandalism "in the strongest terms".

Speaking to the BBC later in the day, Starmer once again stressed that he intends to wait for his independent adviser to complete his work before making a judgement - he nonetheless refused to commit to sacking Rayner should the adviser find she did break the ministerial code.

It was a stance that the leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch, dubbed "hypocrisy" as she suggested the crux of the issue was that Rayner has admitted to underpaying the stamp duty on her flat.

The next steps are dependent on Sir Laurie's report - which government sources tell the BBC could come as early as tomorrow unless something changes.

We're ending our live coverage for today, but you can keep up across further updates in our main news story.

We've just heard Kemi Badenoch's response to Keir Starmer's interview with the BBC, where he was asked: if Angela Rayner has broken ministerial code, does he plan to sack her?

You can watch the clip above, where the BBC's Chris Mason quizzes Starmer on what actions he will take when the independent report into Angel Rayner's tax affairs is produced.

The leader of the opposition is also asked her thoughts on the timeline regarding when Keir Starmer was made aware of the new advice that had been given to Rayner.

It follows media questions earlier - with government ministers saying later in the day that "definitive" advice was not given until Wednesday.

"What we're seeing is Starmer focusing more on party management than country management," Badenoch responds.

Citing an "economy in crisis", the cost of living and unemployment among other things, Badenoch says: "He is not in control he is weak."

Badenoch continues now to tell the BBC that she believes this situation "goes well beyond the code".

"This is about breaking the law," she says, clarifying that she means civil law, not criminal.

"If people break the law, yes I would sack them."

Pushed on her stance for what she would do if the code was broken, she says it depends what in the code was broken - pointing out there are both minor and significant offences.

Rayner is the housing secretary, Badenoch stresses, and she did not pay full stamp duty on a house.

She is asked about the Priti Patel case in which she was found to have "unintentionally" breached the ministerial code in her behaviour towards civil servants.

Badenoch responds by saying the Conservatives are "under new management" and insists "if you break the law, you should resign".

Kemi Badenoch has now offered her response to Keir Starmer's earlier interview with the BBC, when he refused to say if he will sack Angela Rayner if she is found to have broken the ministerial code.

The leader of the opposition starts by saying Starmer's refusal to commit to sacking Rayner - should the ethics adviser find she has broken the ministerial code - demonstrates that he "does not have a backbone".

"Time and time again he has said that if this sort of situation happens he would instantly sack people.

"He has talked about tax fraud being made a criminal rather than a civil offence.

"When the shoe was on the other foot - when he was leader of the opposition - he went after people for this same scenario - as did Angela Rayner.

"What we're seeing from this is hypocrisy."

As for whether it's fair for the prime minister to wait for the findings of the ethics adviser, Badenoch says we know Rayner has already "confessed" to underpaying tax.

"This is not a parliamentary rule, this is the law," she says as she suggests that merits either instant resignation or instant sacking.

Some more now on the instances of graffiti that appeared earlier today close by Angela Rayner's flat in Hove.

A spokesperson for Sussex Police says they have been "made aware of graffiti outside an address in Hove".

They say the matter is being treated as criminal damage with proactive enquiries ongoing.

The spokesperson adds they will be contacting the homeowner to identify any further concerns.

Billy Kenber
Political investigations correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The deputy prime minister used a small family conveyancing firm in Kent to handle the purchase of a Hove property at the centre of a tax dispute, the BBC understands.

Angela Rayner, who has admitted she underpaid stamp duty on the property but said she received inaccurate legal advice, used the conveyancers Verrico & Associates.

The Herne Bay-based high street firm employs six people, including two licensed conveyancers. It doesn't list tax advice among its services, although on LinkedIn the managing director states that "through our connections we can also offer advice on Wills, Probate and Tax planning".

Experts have previously said that conveyancers would be unlikely to be able to give specialist tax advice of the kind Rayner required.

Allies of Rayner have said she received advice from a conveyancer and from two other trust experts. It remains unclear who the two trust experts were, and whether they have specialised knowledge on stamp duty tax.

Someone answering the phone at the conveyancing firm would not give their name but said "we're not talking to journalists".

The name of the company, which appears on a Land Registry document, was first reported by The Guardian.

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

In his interview with Chris Mason, the prime minister suggested more than once that he expected Sir Laurie Magnus’s investigation into Angela Rayner to conclude quickly.

The widespread expectation from sources in government is that, unless something changes, his verdict will come tomorrow.

That speed may reflect that at its core this is a simple case: either the deputy prime minister can show that she asked the right questions of the right people and was given the wrong advice, or she cannot.

Alex Partridge
BBC producer

Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused to say if he would sack Angela Rayner as housing secretary and deputy prime minister if the independent adviser on ministers interests concludes she broke the ministerial code.

Speaking to BBC political editor Chris Mason, Starmer said he would “act on whatever the report is that’s put in front of me” by Sir Laurie Magnus but would not be drawn on whether he would definitely sack her if she is found to have broken the code.

Starmer rejected a comparison with Boris Johnson, who as PM didn’t sack Priti Patel as his home secretary despite the then adviser, Sir Alex Allen, saying she had broken the ministerial code.

Starmer also said he had strengthened the code and the role of the adviser since taking office.

He said he’s expecting the report to be completed quickly.

Chris Mason asks the PM whether he was aware on Monday, when he was publicly defending Rayner, that she had sought additional legal advice that came to the conclusion she had to pay more tax on her Hove property.

Starmer says he knew on Monday that she had taken advice previously when she did the conveyance, and that the actual advice came through on Wednesday morning, after which she referred herself to the independent adviser.

• This echoes what a No 10 spokesperson said earlier, which is that Rayner "updated the Prime Minister at the earliest opportunity" on Wednesday

Mason again presses the PM on whether he intends to sack Angela Rayner, should she be found to have breached the ministerial code.

Starmer repeats that he has strengthened the code and the role of the adviser.

Mason suggests the PM is repeating the actions of Boris Johnson in refusing to say whether his deputy will be fired.

Starmer says he's a "million miles away" from the Johnson years, and insists that he will act on "whatever report" is put in front of him.

• Some context: As prime minister, Johnson didn’t sack Priti Patel as his home secretary despite the then adviser saying she had broken the ministerial code

Is it tenable for a housing secretary, caught in a housing tangle, to carry on as housing secretary, he's asked.

The PM says the facts need to be established before coming to a conclusion, adding that Rayner has referred herself to the independent adviser, which is the "right thing to do".

"Then, of course it, does fall to me, I completely accept that, to make a decision based on what I see in that report."

The BBC's political editor Chris Mason has asked Keir Starmer whether he will sack Angela Rayner if she is found to have broken the ministerial code over her tax affairs.

The prime minister responds that Rayner has referred herself to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, adding that he expects the adviser will be "comprehensive" in his report as well as quick.

Starmer adds that he wants to let the process "take its course".

"She has done the right thing," he says and adds he will look "very carefully" at whatever report is put in front of him.

• Who decides Rayner's future in government? In her capacity as housing minister, it'll ultimately be the PM who decides if she can stay in office - but he cannot sack Rayner as deputy Labour leader. That's because she was elected into this role by the Labour Party through a member vote, so only she can give that up

Image source, Reuters

"Hove is better than this," local MP and Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has said following graffiti appearing in areas close to Angela Rayner's flat.

Earlier in the day, we reported on images of comments - including "tax evader" - that have been painted on walls outside the apartment building.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Kyle says: "There are many, many ways people can express their anger and disappointment in Angela Rayner, including reporting her to the Commissioner for Standards. But defacing a wall is not one of those ways."

Sussex Police has been contacted for comment.

Image source, PA Media

Yesterday saw Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner referring herself to the standards watchdog after reports she had saved £40,000 in stamp duty on the East Sussex flat by not paying the higher rate reserved for buying additional homes.

Here's a quick catch-up of how it all played out:

• Following a row that had been rumbling on in the media over recent days, Rayner conceded she had underpaid on her stamp duty - but said the "mistake" was due to legal advice that didn't take account of her situation
• In a statement released on Wednesday, she said she would now work with expert lawyers and with HMRC to "resolve the matter and pay what is due"
• As the statement was released shortly before PMQs got under way, reaction was swift. Leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch opened the first session since the summer break with the question "Why is she still in office?"
• Starmer backed his deputy - saying he is "proud" to sit alongside her, with Downing Street later underlining the prime minister did not mislead the public over the situation
• Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey also supported Rayner - saying he believed her property decisions had been guided by her disabled child's interest
• Meanwhile, tax experts called for her to publish the advice she had been acting on

Pressure is mounting on Angela Rayner after she admitted to mistakenly underpaying stamp duty on an £800,000 flat.

The timeline can be a bit confusing, but we've got a graphic here that should make things a little clearer.

Image source, PA Media

Downing Street says Prime Minister Keir Starmer has "full confidence" in his deputy, Angela Rayner. However, No 10 stopped short of confirming whether the deputy prime minister will remain in her role until the end of Parliament.

It comes as Rayner admitted to underpaying stamp duty on her sea-front flat in Hove, East Sussex.

The PM's remarks echoed Chancellor Rachel Reeves's comments earlier, who said she too had full confidence in Rayner.

Rayner referred herself to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards on Wednesday, moments before PMQs returned from its summer recess.

This morning, graffiti saying "tax evader" appeared near Rayner's property in Hove. Starmer condemned what he calls an act of vandalism in the "strongest terms".

Rayner's position is under intense scrutiny, with shadow Commons leader Jesse Norman saying a little earlier that Rayner's conduct gives the "appearance of very serious impropriety" and "discredits both the prime minister and the government as a whole".

As Keir Starmer and cabinet ministers continue to back Angela Rayner over her tax affairs, an investigation by the prime minister's standards adviser into whether she broke ministerial rules is ongoing.

We haven't heard directly from Rayner herself today, but PA media reports that she is meeting regional mayors, including Labour Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin and the North East's Kim McGuinness Chatsworth House in Derbyshire.

Starmer's team won't confirm when he was told Rayner had not paid enough taxpublished at 13:22 BST 4 September

13:22 BST 4 September

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

I’ve just been at the daily lobby briefing for political journalists - where we can ask questions of the prime minister’s team.

They have declined to say when Sir Keir Starmer was first told Angela Rayner had not paid enough tax. They’ve only said he was kept updated.

We do have a better understanding of how it got to this stage.

The Daily Telegraph first reported on Thursday last week that the deputy prime minister may have underpaid tax. Her team denied that - but on Friday evening she decided to instruct a KC to look again at the situation.

On Monday, that KC delivered a draft opinion. We have not been told what that said, only that he asked for more information. This could be important.

On Tuesday evening, a court order restricting what Rayner could say about her family circumstances was lifted.

On Wednesday morning, Rayner got the final legal verdict from the KC, which concluded she underpaid stamp duty.

We are told Rayner referred herself to the government’s ethics adviser immediately. But did she know that she’d underpaid on Monday? And if so, should her team have been more transparent?

Likewise, should the PM have robustly defended Rayner in a BBC interview on Monday if he knew she was seeking further legal advice? The government has said he was speaking in general terms when he said people briefing against Rayner were wrong.

But these questions are awkward for the government. This issue continues to be a distraction. And it’s likely to be so until the final report from the ethics advisor is published.

Downing Street says Keir Starmer retains "full confidence" in his deputy, Angela Rayner.

However, asked whether the prime minister backs Rayner to stay in post for the rest of Parliament, the No 10 spokesman says "I'm not going to go through the Cabinet and do that".

"You have the Prime Minister's words in the House yesterday, he said that she followed the right course of action and expressed his pride in her work as his deputy," they add.