💸 Angela Rayner’s family home was valued at almost twice the amount of other recently sold properties on her street when she sold a stake to her disabled son’s trust so she could buy a holiday home
Only 6 of the last 10,500 properties sold in Ashton Under Lyme went for 650k or more, although I guess you’d expect Rayner to have one of the posher ones
Is this trust a lot more complicated than what we’ve already heard ? And wouldn’t those tax advisers have asked for more detail before giving their advice if that was the case .
I tend to think Rayner genuinely didn’t try and rip off the HMRC because that would have been just so short sighted and risky given what happened last year .
Surely no one would be this stupid . It could be that she simply can’t prove that it was a genuine error and will end up going because of that .
This would be a massive loss to Labour because she was seen as the natural successor to Starmer , someone with a back story that meant she was seen as one of us not one of them .
If she's done for its a win for the UK. She is ghastly in so many ways. The thought of her as Prine Minister is just hideous.
I would have loved to have seen her as PM but I accept she’s a bit of a Marmite character .
Genuine question. Why? What do you think would have made her a good PM? What evidence is there for this?
Or just shits and giggles?
She’s not wooden and would show a lot more vision for the country . She’s relatable and if you get the right people around you it’s not such a tough gig .
Its an absolutely insanely tough job, especially for the foreseeable future, as Rishi found out and Starmer is finding out. Brown couldn't do it, May couldn't do it, Boris and Truss were a shit show. Blair and Cameron are the only two that looked like they could at least keep the ship heading in the direction they had plotted.
Brown baffled me. I think he is an intelligent chap. I think he allowed himself to believe his own legend and basically rode a wave of prosperity during the good times. But surely after trying for so long to get to the top he ought to have had some idea of what he wanted to do? And yet apparently not.
A stunning moon hanging low in a clear sky this evening.
Sad to know that there is human detritus on the surface.
I think it's wonderful. A sign of what humanity can achieve if we put our minds to it.
If you have not listened to the 3 series of the 13 Minutes to the Moon podcast on BBC Sounds you should. About the Moon landings, Apollo 13 and the Challenger Shuttle. Utterly gripping.
Is this trust a lot more complicated than what we’ve already heard ? And wouldn’t those tax advisers have asked for more detail before giving their advice if that was the case .
I tend to think Rayner genuinely didn’t try and rip off the HMRC because that would have been just so short sighted and risky given what happened last year .
Surely no one would be this stupid . It could be that she simply can’t prove that it was a genuine error and will end up going because of that .
This would be a massive loss to Labour because she was seen as the natural successor to Starmer , someone with a back story that meant she was seen as one of us not one of them .
If she's done for its a win for the UK. She is ghastly in so many ways. The thought of her as Prine Minister is just hideous.
I would have loved to have seen her as PM but I accept she’s a bit of a Marmite character .
Genuine question. Why? What do you think would have made her a good PM? What evidence is there for this?
Or just shits and giggles?
She’s not wooden and would show a lot more vision for the country . She’s relatable and if you get the right people around you it’s not such a tough gig .
Its an absolutely insanely tough job, especially for the foreseeable future, as Rishi found out and Starmer is finding out. Brown couldn't do it, May couldn't do it, Boris and Truss were a shit show. Blair and Cameron are the only two that looked like they could at least keep the ship heading in the direction they had plotted.
Brown baffled me. I think he is an intelligent chap. I think he allowed himself to believe his own legend and basically rode a wave of prosperity during the good times. But surely after trying for so long to get to the top he ought to have had some idea of what he wanted to do? And yet apparently not.
The widely reported problem was he couldn't delegate or make a decision in a timely manner without asking for further information. As CoE, you have 2 big days a year, you are spending pretty much all your time thinking about what to do with those two opportunities. As PM, every day is a different problem and a lot of it has to be resolved ASAP. There was the famous photo of all the piled up paper in his office when he got kicked out, it was all the stuff that hadn't been signed up and was just building and building and building, as every day the civil servant would present more, he would say he didn't more time to think about it or needed more information, and the backlog just built, and then he was shortly drowning in it.
I am guessing because it was outside of what he had specialised in for 10 years, all of a sudden all this new stuff was coming at it and his nature was well I should spend ages studying this more.
The opposite was reported about Cameron, for all the chillaxing claims, he apparently was on top of his red box every single day, read the info, considered it and signed it off promptly.
Is this trust a lot more complicated than what we’ve already heard ? And wouldn’t those tax advisers have asked for more detail before giving their advice if that was the case .
I tend to think Rayner genuinely didn’t try and rip off the HMRC because that would have been just so short sighted and risky given what happened last year .
Surely no one would be this stupid . It could be that she simply can’t prove that it was a genuine error and will end up going because of that .
This would be a massive loss to Labour because she was seen as the natural successor to Starmer , someone with a back story that meant she was seen as one of us not one of them .
If she's done for its a win for the UK. She is ghastly in so many ways. The thought of her as Prine Minister is just hideous.
I would have loved to have seen her as PM but I accept she’s a bit of a Marmite character .
Genuine question. Why? What do you think would have made her a good PM? What evidence is there for this?
Or just shits and giggles?
She’s not wooden and would show a lot more vision for the country . She’s relatable and if you get the right people around you it’s not such a tough gig .
Who is she relateable to though? To small business owners who have struggled to set up and run business? To the aspiring middle classes? To urban professionals? The global wealthy? Men?
Like any politician she’s relateable to a certain section of society but also there are far more people who would look and not see anything like them.
And what’s her vision? Tax the scum?
There’s been a bit of a myth built about her because she’s someone who has gone places from a tough start but that is it. It’s admirable in itself but I don’t see any great skills, ideas, understanding - the fact that she seems to loathe viscerally a large chunk of the country doesn’t strike me as a suitable person to lead the country.
💸 Angela Rayner’s family home was valued at almost twice the amount of other recently sold properties on her street when she sold a stake to her disabled son’s trust so she could buy a holiday home
Only 6 of the last 10,500 properties sold in Ashton Under Lyme went for 650k or more, although I guess you’d expect Rayner to have one of the posher ones
You've never been to Trashton have you?
No!
I’ve been to Stockport once, on a stag do. A notorious hotel I believe, name escapes me
💸 Angela Rayner’s family home was valued at almost twice the amount of other recently sold properties on her street when she sold a stake to her disabled son’s trust so she could buy a holiday home
Only 6 of the last 10,500 properties sold in Ashton Under Lyme went for 650k or more, although I guess you’d expect Rayner to have one of the posher ones
You've never been to Trashton have you?
No!
I’ve been to Stockport once, on a stag do. A notorious hotel I believe, name escapes me
The Britannia.
About a decade ago it was the lowest ranked/dirtiest hotel on Tripadvisor.
Bredbury Hall
I also have been. We will leave it there.
I am glad you both made it out alive and unharmed.
Is this trust a lot more complicated than what we’ve already heard ? And wouldn’t those tax advisers have asked for more detail before giving their advice if that was the case .
I tend to think Rayner genuinely didn’t try and rip off the HMRC because that would have been just so short sighted and risky given what happened last year .
Surely no one would be this stupid . It could be that she simply can’t prove that it was a genuine error and will end up going because of that .
This would be a massive loss to Labour because she was seen as the natural successor to Starmer , someone with a back story that meant she was seen as one of us not one of them .
If she's done for its a win for the UK. She is ghastly in so many ways. The thought of her as Prine Minister is just hideous.
I would have loved to have seen her as PM but I accept she’s a bit of a Marmite character .
Genuine question. Why? What do you think would have made her a good PM? What evidence is there for this?
Or just shits and giggles?
She’s not wooden and would show a lot more vision for the country . She’s relatable and if you get the right people around you it’s not such a tough gig .
What’s her vision now? Give me the evidence. All I see is a hugely tribal labour mp with a fun back story, some hard times and now caught trying to do what she harassed the Tories for doing. I see no sign of vision.
Suspect if she challenged Keirfrom backbenches in a year she could win if govt hasn't improved. Her pitch would be -> more housing, a wealth tax, first female leader, I'm working class and he ain't, I can take on posh boy Farage and he can't.
'The conveyancing firm that Angela Rayner used to complete her purchase of an £800,000 flat on the south coast has said it did not offer her tax advice and completed her stamp duty return based only on information she provided'
Is this trust a lot more complicated than what we’ve already heard ? And wouldn’t those tax advisers have asked for more detail before giving their advice if that was the case .
I tend to think Rayner genuinely didn’t try and rip off the HMRC because that would have been just so short sighted and risky given what happened last year .
Surely no one would be this stupid . It could be that she simply can’t prove that it was a genuine error and will end up going because of that .
This would be a massive loss to Labour because she was seen as the natural successor to Starmer , someone with a back story that meant she was seen as one of us not one of them .
If she's done for its a win for the UK. She is ghastly in so many ways. The thought of her as Prine Minister is just hideous.
I would have loved to have seen her as PM but I accept she’s a bit of a Marmite character .
Genuine question. Why? What do you think would have made her a good PM? What evidence is there for this?
Or just shits and giggles?
She’s not wooden and would show a lot more vision for the country . She’s relatable and if you get the right people around you it’s not such a tough gig .
What’s her vision now? Give me the evidence. All I see is a hugely tribal labour mp with a fun back story, some hard times and now caught trying to do what she harassed the Tories for doing. I see no sign of vision.
Suspect if she challenged Keirfrom backbenches in a year she could win if govt hasn't improved. Her pitch would be -> more housing, a wealth tax, first female leader, I'm working class and he ain't, I can take on posh boy Farage and he can't.
Housebuilding is down, wealth tax is a terrible idea, we have had 3 female leaders....next....
Is this trust a lot more complicated than what we’ve already heard ? And wouldn’t those tax advisers have asked for more detail before giving their advice if that was the case .
I tend to think Rayner genuinely didn’t try and rip off the HMRC because that would have been just so short sighted and risky given what happened last year .
Surely no one would be this stupid . It could be that she simply can’t prove that it was a genuine error and will end up going because of that .
This would be a massive loss to Labour because she was seen as the natural successor to Starmer , someone with a back story that meant she was seen as one of us not one of them .
If she's done for its a win for the UK. She is ghastly in so many ways. The thought of her as Prine Minister is just hideous.
I would have loved to have seen her as PM but I accept she’s a bit of a Marmite character .
Genuine question. Why? What do you think would have made her a good PM? What evidence is there for this?
Or just shits and giggles?
She’s not wooden and would show a lot more vision for the country . She’s relatable and if you get the right people around you it’s not such a tough gig .
Its an absolutely insanely tough job, especially for the foreseeable future, as Rishi found out and Starmer is finding out. Brown couldn't do it, May couldn't do it, Boris and Truss were a shit show. Blair and Cameron are the only two that looked like they could at least keep the ship heading in the direction they had plotted.
Brown baffled me. I think he is an intelligent chap. I think he allowed himself to believe his own legend and basically rode a wave of prosperity during the good times. But surely after trying for so long to get to the top he ought to have had some idea of what he wanted to do? And yet apparently not.
I think an issue was a great deal of New Labour was his invention and so a lot of the policy had been done by the time he got to Downing Street.
Is this trust a lot more complicated than what we’ve already heard ? And wouldn’t those tax advisers have asked for more detail before giving their advice if that was the case .
I tend to think Rayner genuinely didn’t try and rip off the HMRC because that would have been just so short sighted and risky given what happened last year .
Surely no one would be this stupid . It could be that she simply can’t prove that it was a genuine error and will end up going because of that .
This would be a massive loss to Labour because she was seen as the natural successor to Starmer , someone with a back story that meant she was seen as one of us not one of them .
If she's done for its a win for the UK. She is ghastly in so many ways. The thought of her as Prine Minister is just hideous.
I would have loved to have seen her as PM but I accept she’s a bit of a Marmite character .
Genuine question. Why? What do you think would have made her a good PM? What evidence is there for this?
Or just shits and giggles?
She’s not wooden and would show a lot more vision for the country . She’s relatable and if you get the right people around you it’s not such a tough gig .
Who is she relateable to though? To small business owners who have struggled to set up and run business? To the aspiring middle classes? To urban professionals? The global wealthy? Men?
Like any politician she’s relateable to a certain section of society but also there are far more people who would look and not see anything like them.
And what’s her vision? Tax the scum?
There’s been a bit of a myth built about her because she’s someone who has gone places from a tough start but that is it. It’s admirable in itself but I don’t see any great skills, ideas, understanding - the fact that she seems to loathe viscerally a large chunk of the country doesn’t strike me as a suitable person to lead the country.
Although this didn't stop Osborne, or possibly Boris, aswell.
'The conveyancing firm that Angela Rayner used to complete her purchase of an £800,000 flat on the south coast has said it did not offer her tax advice and completed her stamp duty return based only on information she provided'
I will leave that there
BigG. catching the fragrant aroma of curry again. Maybe this time the recipe will be a success.
Is this trust a lot more complicated than what we’ve already heard ? And wouldn’t those tax advisers have asked for more detail before giving their advice if that was the case .
I tend to think Rayner genuinely didn’t try and rip off the HMRC because that would have been just so short sighted and risky given what happened last year .
Surely no one would be this stupid . It could be that she simply can’t prove that it was a genuine error and will end up going because of that .
This would be a massive loss to Labour because she was seen as the natural successor to Starmer , someone with a back story that meant she was seen as one of us not one of them .
If she's done for its a win for the UK. She is ghastly in so many ways. The thought of her as Prine Minister is just hideous.
I would have loved to have seen her as PM but I accept she’s a bit of a Marmite character .
Genuine question. Why? What do you think would have made her a good PM? What evidence is there for this?
Or just shits and giggles?
She’s not wooden and would show a lot more vision for the country . She’s relatable and if you get the right people around you it’s not such a tough gig .
What’s her vision now? Give me the evidence. All I see is a hugely tribal labour mp with a fun back story, some hard times and now caught trying to do what she harassed the Tories for doing. I see no sign of vision.
Suspect if she challenged Keirfrom backbenches in a year she could win if govt hasn't improved. Her pitch would be -> more housing, a wealth tax, first female leader, I'm working class and he ain't, I can take on posh boy Farage and he can't.
More housing? Google Angela Rayner threatened to quit over housing target being too difficult. She’s housing minister so why would anyone believe her as leader demanding more housing when she can’t deliver that when it’s supposed to be her main job.
Kate Ferguson @kateferguson4 · 36m Brace for lots of angry tweets about how rubbish Euston station is on here.
Spoiler - Reform Party conference is in Birmingham.
The lobby have to get the train from Euston station.
Birmingham New Street and Euston are two stations I hate as much as pineapple on pizza.
What's wrong with Euston? It's got a Hotel Chocolat, the good type of Leon, an M&S. There are some OK pubs. It's near Drummond Street if you want to go to a proper restaurant.
There's no space on the platforms. And they're in the bowels.
Plus, it says "Grand Central" on the outside but not "Birmingham New Street", which is deeply confusing.
Moor Street is nice.
Living in Wythall the train from Stratford on Avon would take us into Moor Street. I haven't used it since 1976, it was very basic and unassuming. Has it changed much?
Is this trust a lot more complicated than what we’ve already heard ? And wouldn’t those tax advisers have asked for more detail before giving their advice if that was the case .
I tend to think Rayner genuinely didn’t try and rip off the HMRC because that would have been just so short sighted and risky given what happened last year .
Surely no one would be this stupid . It could be that she simply can’t prove that it was a genuine error and will end up going because of that .
This would be a massive loss to Labour because she was seen as the natural successor to Starmer , someone with a back story that meant she was seen as one of us not one of them .
If she's done for its a win for the UK. She is ghastly in so many ways. The thought of her as Prine Minister is just hideous.
I would have loved to have seen her as PM but I accept she’s a bit of a Marmite character .
Genuine question. Why? What do you think would have made her a good PM? What evidence is there for this?
Or just shits and giggles?
She’s not wooden and would show a lot more vision for the country . She’s relatable and if you get the right people around you it’s not such a tough gig .
What’s her vision now? Give me the evidence. All I see is a hugely tribal labour mp with a fun back story, some hard times and now caught trying to do what she harassed the Tories for doing. I see no sign of vision.
Suspect if she challenged Keirfrom backbenches in a year she could win if govt hasn't improved. Her pitch would be -> more housing, a wealth tax, first female leader, I'm working class and he ain't, I can take on posh boy Farage and he can't.
Housebuilding is down, wealth tax is a terrible idea, we have had 3 female leaders....next....
Labour have a bizarre monkey on their back over never having a femal leader, despite being the so called progressive party. In truth I always want the best person for a job, I don’t care if male of femail, gay, straight, married, single, swinger etc.
And Labour surely has better than Rayner - Cooper for one. And she has a warm, intelligent, insightful husband to provide support. I’d vote for her.
'The conveyancing firm that Angela Rayner used to complete her purchase of an £800,000 flat on the south coast has said it did not offer her tax advice and completed her stamp duty return based only on information she provided'
I will leave that there
BigG. catching the fragrant aroma of curry again. Maybe this time the recipe will be a success.
Well it is the Guardian and your curry references are stale and more whataboutery
Is this trust a lot more complicated than what we’ve already heard ? And wouldn’t those tax advisers have asked for more detail before giving their advice if that was the case .
I tend to think Rayner genuinely didn’t try and rip off the HMRC because that would have been just so short sighted and risky given what happened last year .
Surely no one would be this stupid . It could be that she simply can’t prove that it was a genuine error and will end up going because of that .
This would be a massive loss to Labour because she was seen as the natural successor to Starmer , someone with a back story that meant she was seen as one of us not one of them .
If she's done for its a win for the UK. She is ghastly in so many ways. The thought of her as Prine Minister is just hideous.
I would have loved to have seen her as PM but I accept she’s a bit of a Marmite character .
Genuine question. Why? What do you think would have made her a good PM? What evidence is there for this?
Or just shits and giggles?
She’s not wooden and would show a lot more vision for the country . She’s relatable and if you get the right people around you it’s not such a tough gig .
Who is she relateable to though? To small business owners who have struggled to set up and run business? To the aspiring middle classes? To urban professionals? The global wealthy? Men?
Like any politician she’s relateable to a certain section of society but also there are far more people who would look and not see anything like them.
And what’s her vision? Tax the scum?
There’s been a bit of a myth built about her because she’s someone who has gone places from a tough start but that is it. It’s admirable in itself but I don’t see any great skills, ideas, understanding - the fact that she seems to loathe viscerally a large chunk of the country doesn’t strike me as a suitable person to lead the country.
Although this didn't stop Osborne, or possibly Boris, aswell.
Osborne never got to be leader, Boris was up against a bloke who was painted as a mad marxist who loved terrorists and appeared to do his best to confirm the media profile. Boris personal ratings were never very good, it is all relative.
Is this trust a lot more complicated than what we’ve already heard ? And wouldn’t those tax advisers have asked for more detail before giving their advice if that was the case .
I tend to think Rayner genuinely didn’t try and rip off the HMRC because that would have been just so short sighted and risky given what happened last year .
Surely no one would be this stupid . It could be that she simply can’t prove that it was a genuine error and will end up going because of that .
This would be a massive loss to Labour because she was seen as the natural successor to Starmer , someone with a back story that meant she was seen as one of us not one of them .
If she's done for its a win for the UK. She is ghastly in so many ways. The thought of her as Prine Minister is just hideous.
I would have loved to have seen her as PM but I accept she’s a bit of a Marmite character .
Genuine question. Why? What do you think would have made her a good PM? What evidence is there for this?
Or just shits and giggles?
Rayner is very good as an attack dog and hyping up the base, but like Two Jags, there is absolutely no evidence she has the skills to do the top job.
Sadly there's fairly recent evidence that that is no barrier.
Is this trust a lot more complicated than what we’ve already heard ? And wouldn’t those tax advisers have asked for more detail before giving their advice if that was the case .
I tend to think Rayner genuinely didn’t try and rip off the HMRC because that would have been just so short sighted and risky given what happened last year .
Surely no one would be this stupid . It could be that she simply can’t prove that it was a genuine error and will end up going because of that .
This would be a massive loss to Labour because she was seen as the natural successor to Starmer , someone with a back story that meant she was seen as one of us not one of them .
If she's done for its a win for the UK. She is ghastly in so many ways. The thought of her as Prine Minister is just hideous.
I would have loved to have seen her as PM but I accept she’s a bit of a Marmite character .
Genuine question. Why? What do you think would have made her a good PM? What evidence is there for this?
Or just shits and giggles?
She’s not wooden and would show a lot more vision for the country . She’s relatable and if you get the right people around you it’s not such a tough gig .
Its an absolutely insanely tough job, especially for the foreseeable future, as Rishi found out and Starmer is finding out. Brown couldn't do it, May couldn't do it, Boris and Truss were a shit show. Blair and Cameron are the only two that looked like they could at least keep the ship heading in the direction they had plotted.
Brown baffled me. I think he is an intelligent chap. I think he allowed himself to believe his own legend and basically rode a wave of prosperity during the good times. But surely after trying for so long to get to the top he ought to have had some idea of what he wanted to do? And yet apparently not.
I think an issue was a great deal of New Labour was his invention and so a lot of the policy had been done by the time he got to Downing Street.
But what was New Labour really? The Third Way? Wasn’t it really just inheriting a booming economy and turning on taps as you share the proceeds of growth?
Is this trust a lot more complicated than what we’ve already heard ? And wouldn’t those tax advisers have asked for more detail before giving their advice if that was the case .
I tend to think Rayner genuinely didn’t try and rip off the HMRC because that would have been just so short sighted and risky given what happened last year .
Surely no one would be this stupid . It could be that she simply can’t prove that it was a genuine error and will end up going because of that .
This would be a massive loss to Labour because she was seen as the natural successor to Starmer , someone with a back story that meant she was seen as one of us not one of them .
If she's done for its a win for the UK. She is ghastly in so many ways. The thought of her as Prine Minister is just hideous.
I would have loved to have seen her as PM but I accept she’s a bit of a Marmite character .
Genuine question. Why? What do you think would have made her a good PM? What evidence is there for this?
Or just shits and giggles?
Rayner is very good as an attack dog and hyping up the base, but like Two Jags, there is absolutely no evidence she has the skills to do the top job.
Sadly there's fairly recent evidence that that is no barrier.
I have a great deal of sympathy for Rayner. She seems to have made a genuine mistake with respect to a rather arcane and counterintuitive aspect of the rules around stamp duty. She was only in this complex situation because of a tragic family health situation. I think many people in her situation might have made the same error - it's one of those situations where you might never have thought to ask for formal legal advice because the potential problem would simply not be apparent. Still, the world of politics is not fair, and having criticized others for tax avoidance she has to be like Ceasar's wife with respect to her own tax affairs. I don't think she can survive this. But I hope she will be back after a suitable period in the wilderness, because she is a fundamentally decent and honest person with a compelling backstory and an all too rare working class voice in politics.
Completely agree with you on this.
The problem is the way she dished it out to the Conservatives when they faced similar allegations is coming back to bite her and a reminder Opposition is one thing, Government something else and if and when you are found out doing something you shouldn't, you can expect neither quarter nor mercy from your opponents who will have longer memories.
As I said yeaterday, however, what will force her out isn't the vitriol of her opponents (though they may claim the credit) but the inaction of her friends. You can rely on your enemies but the moment you can no longer rely on your allies your goose is well and truly ready to be taken out of the oven.
If she had good sense, she would have found a single firm lawyers who had combined expertise in conveyancing, tax, trusts etc.
Give them all the facts, and got them to create the course of action, check it and then get them to carry it out.
All nicely documented.
It might have cost a little more, but hiring real experts always saves in the end.
Is this trust a lot more complicated than what we’ve already heard ? And wouldn’t those tax advisers have asked for more detail before giving their advice if that was the case .
I tend to think Rayner genuinely didn’t try and rip off the HMRC because that would have been just so short sighted and risky given what happened last year .
Surely no one would be this stupid . It could be that she simply can’t prove that it was a genuine error and will end up going because of that .
This would be a massive loss to Labour because she was seen as the natural successor to Starmer , someone with a back story that meant she was seen as one of us not one of them .
If she's done for its a win for the UK. She is ghastly in so many ways. The thought of her as Prine Minister is just hideous.
I would have loved to have seen her as PM but I accept she’s a bit of a Marmite character .
Genuine question. Why? What do you think would have made her a good PM? What evidence is there for this?
Or just shits and giggles?
She’s not wooden and would show a lot more vision for the country . She’s relatable and if you get the right people around you it’s not such a tough gig .
What’s her vision now? Give me the evidence. All I see is a hugely tribal labour mp with a fun back story, some hard times and now caught trying to do what she harassed the Tories for doing. I see no sign of vision.
Suspect if she challenged Keirfrom backbenches in a year she could win if govt hasn't improved. Her pitch would be -> more housing, a wealth tax, first female leader, I'm working class and he ain't, I can take on posh boy Farage and he can't.
Housebuilding is down, wealth tax is a terrible idea, we have had 3 female leaders....next....
Labour have a bizarre monkey on their back over never having a femal leader, despite being the so called progressive party. In truth I always want the best person for a job, I don’t care if male of femail, gay, straight, married, single, swinger etc.
And Labour surely has better than Rayner - Cooper for one. And she has a warm, intelligent, insightful husband to provide support. I’d vote for her.
They might, but I don't think the country cares. We had the first non-white bloke and the country didn't care about that either, they cared he wasn't very good at the job (along with his band of merry twats being utterly useless).
'The conveyancing firm that Angela Rayner used to complete her purchase of an £800,000 flat on the south coast has said it did not offer her tax advice and completed her stamp duty return based only on information she provided'
I will leave that there
BigG. catching the fragrant aroma of curry again. Maybe this time the recipe will be a success.
Well it is the Guardian and your curry references are stale and more whataboutery
I have been consistent over the last 24 hours that she should have at least relinquished the housing brief. Anyway, my whataboutery is just as valid as Tory whataboutery.
The biggest scandal is that Rayner's ineptitude has kept Farage's trainwreck in DC off the news. Farage is a lucky General.
Also, whatever happened to government ministers putting everything into blind trust overseen by an expert. Pretty sure Blair government ministers did that? Then you always had somebody who would ensure legality over any house purchases, taxes due and you wouldn't be comprised over share dealing etc.
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
Is this trust a lot more complicated than what we’ve already heard ? And wouldn’t those tax advisers have asked for more detail before giving their advice if that was the case .
I tend to think Rayner genuinely didn’t try and rip off the HMRC because that would have been just so short sighted and risky given what happened last year .
Surely no one would be this stupid . It could be that she simply can’t prove that it was a genuine error and will end up going because of that .
This would be a massive loss to Labour because she was seen as the natural successor to Starmer , someone with a back story that meant she was seen as one of us not one of them .
If she's done for its a win for the UK. She is ghastly in so many ways. The thought of her as Prine Minister is just hideous.
I would have loved to have seen her as PM but I accept she’s a bit of a Marmite character .
Genuine question. Why? What do you think would have made her a good PM? What evidence is there for this?
Or just shits and giggles?
She’s not wooden and would show a lot more vision for the country . She’s relatable and if you get the right people around you it’s not such a tough gig .
Its an absolutely insanely tough job, especially for the foreseeable future, as Rishi found out and Starmer is finding out. Brown couldn't do it, May couldn't do it, Boris and Truss were a shit show. Blair and Cameron are the only two that looked like they could at least keep the ship heading in the direction they had plotted.
Brown baffled me. I think he is an intelligent chap. I think he allowed himself to believe his own legend and basically rode a wave of prosperity during the good times. But surely after trying for so long to get to the top he ought to have had some idea of what he wanted to do? And yet apparently not.
I think an issue was a great deal of New Labour was his invention and so a lot of the policy had been done by the time he got to Downing Street.
But what was New Labour really? The Third Way? Wasn’t it really just inheriting a booming economy and turning on taps as you share the proceeds of growth?
I believe that Brown himself gave a list of twenty or more changes during a conference speech just before he took over.
Kate Ferguson @kateferguson4 · 36m Brace for lots of angry tweets about how rubbish Euston station is on here.
Spoiler - Reform Party conference is in Birmingham.
The lobby have to get the train from Euston station.
Birmingham New Street and Euston are two stations I hate as much as pineapple on pizza.
What's wrong with Euston? It's got a Hotel Chocolat, the good type of Leon, an M&S. There are some OK pubs. It's near Drummond Street if you want to go to a proper restaurant.
There's no space on the platforms. And they're in the bowels.
Plus, it says "Grand Central" on the outside but not "Birmingham New Street", which is deeply confusing.
Moor Street is nice.
Living in Wythall the train from Stratford on Avon would take us into Moor Street. I haven't used it since 1976, it was very basic and unassuming. Has it changed much?
Still goes to Moor Street and then on to Snow Hill and beyond.
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
Aren't there about 100 government jobs and presumably he will have over 300 fruitcakes, loons and closet racists amongst his own MPs to choose from. Does he expect them to be just lobbying fodder for his Enabling Act?
Kate Ferguson @kateferguson4 · 36m Brace for lots of angry tweets about how rubbish Euston station is on here.
Spoiler - Reform Party conference is in Birmingham.
The lobby have to get the train from Euston station.
Birmingham New Street and Euston are two stations I hate as much as pineapple on pizza.
What's wrong with Euston? It's got a Hotel Chocolat, the good type of Leon, an M&S. There are some OK pubs. It's near Drummond Street if you want to go to a proper restaurant.
There's no space on the platforms. And they're in the bowels.
Plus, it says "Grand Central" on the outside but not "Birmingham New Street", which is deeply confusing.
Moor Street is nice.
Living in Wythall the train from Stratford on Avon would take us into Moor Street. I haven't used it since 1976, it was very basic and unassuming. Has it changed much?
Still goes to Moor Street and then on to Snow Hill and beyond.
For the fourteen years I lived in Wythall the once beautiful GWR Snow Hill Station was a bare wrought iron frame above a temporary car park.
Kate Ferguson @kateferguson4 · 36m Brace for lots of angry tweets about how rubbish Euston station is on here.
Spoiler - Reform Party conference is in Birmingham.
The lobby have to get the train from Euston station.
Birmingham New Street and Euston are two stations I hate as much as pineapple on pizza.
What's wrong with Euston? It's got a Hotel Chocolat, the good type of Leon, an M&S. There are some OK pubs. It's near Drummond Street if you want to go to a proper restaurant.
There's no space on the platforms. And they're in the bowels.
Plus, it says "Grand Central" on the outside but not "Birmingham New Street", which is deeply confusing.
Moor Street is nice.
As long as the buffet is open, journalists won’t mind a slower journey.
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
Aren't there about 100 government jobs and presumably he will have over 300 fruitcakes, loons and closet racists amongst his own MPs to choose from. Does he expect them to be just lobbying fodder for his Enabling Act?
Yes.
The flaw in his cunning plan is that Nigel only gets to become and remain PM if he keeps their support. He can set up his party so he can't be deposed as Reform leader, but his MPs aren't particularly beholden to him. They could decide that they want someone else as PM.
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
Kate Ferguson @kateferguson4 · 36m Brace for lots of angry tweets about how rubbish Euston station is on here.
Spoiler - Reform Party conference is in Birmingham.
The lobby have to get the train from Euston station.
Birmingham New Street and Euston are two stations I hate as much as pineapple on pizza.
What's wrong with Euston? It's got a Hotel Chocolat, the good type of Leon, an M&S. There are some OK pubs. It's near Drummond Street if you want to go to a proper restaurant.
There's no space on the platforms. And they're in the bowels.
Plus, it says "Grand Central" on the outside but not "Birmingham New Street", which is deeply confusing.
Moor Street is nice.
Living in Wythall the train from Stratford on Avon would take us into Moor Street. I haven't used it since 1976, it was very basic and unassuming. Has it changed much?
Still goes to Moor Street and then on to Snow Hill and beyond.
Last time I took it to Stratford, it was at 6am to queue up for theatre returns, thirty years go. Unwelded rail sections in the middle so proper clickety clack sounds. I assume it's been updated now.
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
Aren't there about 100 government jobs and presumably he will have over 300 fruitcakes, loons and closet racists amongst his own MPs to choose from. Does he expect them to be just lobbying fodder for his Enabling Act?
Yes.
The flaw in his cunning plan is that Nigel only gets to become and remain PM if he keeps their support. He can set up his party so he can't be deposed as Reform leader, but his MPs aren't particularly beholden to him. They could decide that they want someone else as PM.
So a bit like an Executive Order President/ Dictator?
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
'The conveyancing firm that Angela Rayner used to complete her purchase of an £800,000 flat on the south coast has said it did not offer her tax advice and completed her stamp duty return based only on information she provided'
I will leave that there
Parked - alongside Rayner's ambitions
Will Andy Burnham fancy winning the forthcoming Ashton by-election?
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
Aren't there about 100 government jobs and presumably he will have over 300 fruitcakes, loons and closet racists amongst his own MPs to choose from. Does he expect them to be just lobbying fodder for his Enabling Act?
Yes.
The flaw in his cunning plan is that Nigel only gets to become and remain PM if he keeps their support. He can set up his party so he can't be deposed as Reform leader, but his MPs aren't particularly beholden to him. They could decide that they want someone else as PM.
The other flaw is to call a US style Cabinet "all the talents" !!!
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
Read that Guardian report from Rayner’s constituency. They couldn’t find one single supportive voice
She’s finished
The problem is the size of the numbers, £800k for a house, £40k not paid in tax. People from those sort of backgrounds are hearing that and thinking my take home pay for 2 years is £40k, my house is worth a fraction of that. And then the PM / Big Ange is going but I am just a humble working class lass, how am I supposed to know about tax and stuff.
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
Once again social media manipulated to tell one story that proves to be untrue.
Looks like social media spread fake news, then the media might well have spread fake news....
I did hint at this. Then got chastised for merely hinting
Both sides got it wrong
What's the full story then? I reckon that after the phone footage the Bulgarian bloke wrestled the toy weapons off the girl, then he and his partner gave them a bit a of a beating.
Read that Guardian report from Rayner’s constituency. They couldn’t find one single supportive voice
She’s finished
Not necessarily, she can just brazen it out and dare the PM to fire her from the Cabinet because he can't fire her as deputy leader, she needs to resign that position due to the weird Labour party rules.
Should she resign? Yes. Is she going to? Probably not.
I really wouldn't be surprised at all if a month from now she's still in the same job as deputy, sitting in Cabinet but just shuffled into some other job that isn't related to housing.
She sold her share in the family home to her sons trust and in so doing assumed it was not her main residence anymore
In these circumstances she employed a local conveyancing firm near Hove and it did not occur to her to tell them about her Ashton home
The conveyancer proceeded as normal and the stamp duty was paid
However, the Telegraph in August started to question her stamp duty (their sources unknown publicly) and at this point she started seeking futher advice
Unfortunately by then she had committed the offence and found herself in an untenable position as a result
💸 Angela Rayner’s family home was valued at almost twice the amount of other recently sold properties on her street when she sold a stake to her disabled son’s trust so she could buy a holiday home
Only 6 of the last 10,500 properties sold in Ashton Under Lyme went for 650k or more, although I guess you’d expect Rayner to have one of the posher ones
You've never been to Trashton have you?
Oi - I was born in Trashton
My condolences, I can understand why you moved to Aberdeenshire.
They just seemed to pick a bunch of bitter Reform voters . I’m not surprised she bought a place in Hove . Ashton is a complete dump .
And you guys wonder why your Labour government is unpopular. First the Peterborough council leader uses the term “white trash” now a mainstream Labour constituency is “a dump”
Your party is so fucked. You could go lower than the Tories. You viscerally loathe your once-natural supporters, then you spit contempt at them for shifting to Reform
Some serious desperation on here tonight. Rayner’s been caught out just as plenty of Tories have been caught out in the past and, no doubt, will again in the future.
And, indeed, like a number of Labour politicians were in 1997-2010. (Or more specifically, like Peter Mandelson was, repeatedly.)
That's what I like about the Liberals/LibDems. They go for proper crimes, not these namby pamby bits of tax avoidance.
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
They just seemed to pick a bunch of bitter Reform voters . I’m not surprised she bought a place in Hove . Ashton is a complete dump .
And you guys wonder why your Labour government is unpopular. First the Peterborough council leader uses the term “white trash” now a mainstream Labour constituency is “a dump”
Your party is so fucked. You could go lower than the Tories. You viscerally loathe your once-natural supporters, then you spit contempt at them for shifting to Reform
💸 Angela Rayner’s family home was valued at almost twice the amount of other recently sold properties on her street when she sold a stake to her disabled son’s trust so she could buy a holiday home
Only 6 of the last 10,500 properties sold in Ashton Under Lyme went for 650k or more, although I guess you’d expect Rayner to have one of the posher ones
You've never been to Trashton have you?
Oi - I was born in Trashton
My condolences, I can understand why you moved to Aberdeenshire.
My father pre war was manager of the Pru in Ashton
💸 Angela Rayner’s family home was valued at almost twice the amount of other recently sold properties on her street when she sold a stake to her disabled son’s trust so she could buy a holiday home
Only 6 of the last 10,500 properties sold in Ashton Under Lyme went for 650k or more, although I guess you’d expect Rayner to have one of the posher ones
You've never been to Trashton have you?
Oi - I was born in Trashton
My condolences, I can understand why you moved to Aberdeenshire.
My father pre war was manager of the Pru in Ashton
Read that Guardian report from Rayner’s constituency. They couldn’t find one single supportive voice
She’s finished
The problem is the size of the numbers, £800k for a house, £40k not paid in tax. People from those sort of backgrounds are hearing that and thinking my take home pay for 2 years is £40k, my house is worth a fraction of that. And then the PM / Big Ange is going but I am just a humble working class lass, how am I supposed to know about tax and stuff.
Yes exactly. £40k is a wonderland of money to many people. Two years total salary, as you say
For “working class ange” it’s an annoying tax bill she can easily afford - given her very large salary and expenses - but preferred to dodge
It’s fatal. She’s fatally wounded. She may limp on for a while but it’s not going to last
💸 Angela Rayner’s family home was valued at almost twice the amount of other recently sold properties on her street when she sold a stake to her disabled son’s trust so she could buy a holiday home
Only 6 of the last 10,500 properties sold in Ashton Under Lyme went for 650k or more, although I guess you’d expect Rayner to have one of the posher ones
You've never been to Trashton have you?
Oi - I was born in Trashton
My condolences, I can understand why you moved to Aberdeenshire.
My father pre war was manager of the Pru in Ashton
Moving to Llandudno was a prudential move.
Yes with Oldham, Whitefield, Berwick on Tweed and Dalkeith in between
Nigel Farage wants to create a US-style Cabinet of “all the talents”, with outsiders running government departments, if he wins the next general election. As many of half of the Cabinet ministers in a Reform UK government could be members of the House of Lords rather than elected MPs, as is traditional.
Read that Guardian report from Rayner’s constituency. They couldn’t find one single supportive voice
She’s finished
The problem is the size of the numbers, £800k for a house, £40k not paid in tax. People from those sort of backgrounds are hearing that and thinking my take home pay for 2 years is £40k, my house is worth a fraction of that. And then the PM / Big Ange is going but I am just a humble working class lass, how am I supposed to know about tax and stuff.
Yes exactly. £40k is a wonderland of money to many people. Two years total salary, as you say
For “working class ange” it’s an annoying tax bill she can easily afford - given her very large salary and expenses - but preferred to dodge
It’s fatal. She’s fatally wounded. She may limp on for a while but it’s not going to last
It will be difficult now for Rachel Reeves to amend trust taxation in the budget as it will look as if it’s because of Rayner’s current difficulties.
Labour are now doing to their core WWC support in England and Wales what they did to that same electorate in Scotland: simultaneously taking it for granted AND expressing contempt and disgust if these smelly racist voters show disloyalty and go for Reform
It’s a recipe for electoral wipe-out, as happened to SLAB
Read that Guardian report from Rayner’s constituency. They couldn’t find one single supportive voice
She’s finished
The problem is the size of the numbers, £800k for a house, £40k not paid in tax. People from those sort of backgrounds are hearing that and thinking my take home pay for 2 years is £40k, my house is worth a fraction of that. And then the PM / Big Ange is going but I am just a humble working class lass, how am I supposed to know about tax and stuff.
Yes exactly. £40k is a wonderland of money to many people. Two years total salary, as you say
For “working class ange” it’s an annoying tax bill she can easily afford - given her very large salary and expenses - but preferred to dodge
It’s fatal. She’s fatally wounded. She may limp on for a while but it’s not going to last
It will be difficult now for Rachel Reeves to amend trust taxation in the budget as it will look as if it’s because of Rayner’s current difficulties.
It's difficult to amend trust taxation without people screaming it helps rich people.
But I don't think trust taxation is going to be in the budget - what I hope to see is fundamental changes to council tax (revaluation or percentage of current value) and the VAT registration threshold reduced to £30,000 or so to go alongside making tax digital..
Comments
I am guessing because it was outside of what he had specialised in for 10 years, all of a sudden all this new stuff was coming at it and his nature was well I should spend ages studying this more.
The opposite was reported about Cameron, for all the chillaxing claims, he apparently was on top of his red box every single day, read the info, considered it and signed it off promptly.
Rt Hon Nadine Dorries
@NadineDorries
The Conservative Party is dead.
https://x.com/NadineDorries/status/1963679298327548122
Narrator: She is still waiting for a peerage
Like any politician she’s relateable to a certain section of society but also there are far more people who would look and not see anything like them.
And what’s her vision? Tax the scum?
There’s been a bit of a myth built about her because she’s someone who has gone places from a tough start but that is it. It’s admirable in itself but I don’t see any great skills, ideas, understanding - the fact that she seems to loathe viscerally a large chunk of the country doesn’t strike me as a suitable person to lead the country.
Or is the SNP the lesser evil?
They seem to be heading to a full Reform endorsement. The Tories are in the deepest doo-doo possible.
Her pitch would be -> more housing, a wealth tax, first female leader, I'm working class and he ain't, I can take on posh boy Farage and he can't.
And Labour surely has better than Rayner - Cooper for one. And she has a warm, intelligent, insightful husband to provide support. I’d vote for her.
Give them all the facts, and got them to create the course of action, check it and then get them to carry it out.
All nicely documented.
It might have cost a little more, but hiring real experts always saves in the end.
The biggest scandal is that Rayner's ineptitude has kept Farage's trainwreck in DC off the news. Farage is a lucky General.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/man-woman-charged-after-dundee-35850128
Mind you, it doesn't actually say if it is the alleged perpetrators or, say, the girl's parents who have been charged...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09/04/nigel-farage-reform-uk-zia-yusuf-government-conference/
"Best when we are Labour..."
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/04/reform-secured-almost-1m-from-former-tory-donors-in-second-quarter-of-2025?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
The flaw in his cunning plan is that Nigel only gets to become and remain PM if he keeps their support. He can set up his party so he can't be deposed as Reform leader, but his MPs aren't particularly beholden to him. They could decide that they want someone else as PM.
Both sides got it wrong
Voters not happy with Ange
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/04/its-a-disgrace-rayners-constituents-call-for-her-resignation-after-stamp-duty-row
She’s finished
Should she resign? Yes. Is she going to? Probably not.
I really wouldn't be surprised at all if a month from now she's still in the same job as deputy, sitting in Cabinet but just shuffled into some other job that isn't related to housing.
She sold her share in the family home to her sons trust and in so doing assumed it was not her main residence anymore
In these circumstances she employed a local conveyancing firm near Hove and it did not occur to her to tell them about her Ashton home
The conveyancer proceeded as normal and the stamp duty was paid
However, the Telegraph in August started to question her stamp duty (their sources unknown publicly) and at this point she started seeking futher advice
Unfortunately by then she had committed the offence and found herself in an untenable position as a result
Could be wrong but surely it is plausible
Your party is so fucked. You could go lower than the Tories. You viscerally loathe your once-natural supporters, then you spit contempt at them for shifting to Reform
That's what I like about the Liberals/LibDems. They go for proper crimes, not these namby pamby bits of tax avoidance.
For “working class ange” it’s an annoying tax bill she can easily afford - given her very large salary and expenses - but preferred to dodge
It’s fatal. She’s fatally wounded. She may limp on for a while but it’s not going to last
Given that Farage would have to say who they are before an election there would be nothing to stop them actually standing in a constituency.
It’s a recipe for electoral wipe-out, as happened to SLAB
But I don't think trust taxation is going to be in the budget - what I hope to see is fundamental changes to council tax (revaluation or percentage of current value) and the VAT registration threshold reduced to £30,000 or so to go alongside making tax digital..