Rayner’s resignation and a cabinet reshuffle – how did we get here?published at 12:58 British Summer Time
12:58 BST
Image source, Reuters
On Thursday, Angela Rayner was one of the most powerful figures in government. Within 24 hours, she had resigned and half of the cabinet had been given new titles.
How did we get here?
The week began with MPs returning to London after a summer break, with Starmer billing it the start of “phase two” of his government.
At the time, there were swirling newspaper reports about the deputy PM having underpaid tax on a flat she had bought in May.
Rayner’s team initially insisted she had paid the right amount, but sought legal advice. On Wednesday, she conceded she had not paid enough.
By Friday morning, after a week of growing pressure, the country was speculating Rayner’s political future.
A report from the PM’s ethics adviser later found that, although Rayner had “acted with integrity”, she ultimately breached the ministerial code for not seeking expert tax advice.
Rayner resigned, writing in a letter that she took “full responsibility for this error” and it was “never my intention to do anything other than pay the right amount”.
The resignation prompted Starmer to carry out a major cabinet reshuffle sooner than he had planned – David Lammy has replaced Rayner as deputy prime minister, Yvette Cooper has moved to the foreign office and Shabana Mahmood is home secretary.
Starmer is expected to continue his reshuffle today with changes to government ministers. Stick with us and we’ll bring you the latest.