Angela Rayner: I'm relaxed about the rich... if they pay tax

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner has admitted she is relaxed about people becoming "filthy rich... as long as they pay their taxes".

She said Labour wants people to "create wealth", echoing famous remarks made by the party's former spin doctor, Peter Mandelson.

Speaking to the BBC's Political Thinking podcast, Ms Rayner was asked about her views on wealth and class.

Asked if Labour believed in aspiration, she said: "Absolutely, 100%."

Her comments represent a shift away from the language used by Labour MPs and shadow ministers under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.

Launching Labour's campaign ahead of the general election in 2019, Mr Corbyn promised to "pull down a corrupt system" and make the UK's wealthy elite pay their way with new taxes.

In one tweet, the left-wing leader said "there would be no billionaires and no one would live in poverty" in a fair society.

But speaking to the BBC's Nick Robinson, Ms Rayner - who rose to Labour's front bench when Mr Corbyn was leader - struck a more pragmatic tone.

Former Business Secretary Peter Mandelson was one of the architects of New Labour

She was asked if she agreed with Lord Mandelson who, in 1998, said of New Labour: "We are intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich as long as they pay their taxes."

"If that means that they're going to be filthy rich as he [Lord Mandelson] says, I wouldn't use that term, but people are going to have great wealth," Ms Rayner said. "It's about sharing that wealth and understanding where that wealth comes from."

Ms Rayner said she would not be attacking new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for being rich. Mr Sunak - whose wife, Akshata Murty, is the daughter of an Indian billionaire - is thought to be one of the richest MPs in Parliament.

Being rich was not a problem for a prime minister, Ms Rayner said. But, she added, how he and his family had used that wealth was.

Ms Murty came under the spotlight earlier this year when her non-domiciled status was revealed, meaning she did not have to pay any tax on her earnings from outside the UK. She later agreed to pay UK taxes on her worldwide income.

"Don't preach to us if you're not paying your taxes and not doing the right thing," Ms Rayner said.

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Putting the PM's wealth aside, Ms Rayner said Mr Sunak becoming the first prime minister of Asian heritage was a "historic moment" for the UK.

She said "it wasn't the time and place" for a tweet shared by Labour MP Nadia Whittome, who was ordered to delete a post saying Mr Sunak becoming prime minister "isn't a win for Asian representation".

"Sometimes it's nice to stop and look at something for what it is and say this is a good thing," Ms Rayner said.

The Labour deputy leader - who has made a political point of her working-class roots - said her background has also often been brought up in a negative way.

She said: "I get so much abuse from people, saying pregnant at 16, no qualifications. She must be thick.

"Well, I'm clearly not thick because I wouldn't be where I am. I'm one of the most successful politicians of my generation, you know, my ability and my achievements have been, by any measure, have been as good as anybody else, whether privately educated or not, PhD or not.

"So I'm not stupid. I think the more people can see talent not just in terms of you've got this academic qualification, the better it is."

Nick Robinson's interview with Angela Rayner will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 17:30 BST on Saturday 29 October, and is also available on BBC Sounds and the Political Thinking website.