Angela Rayner has faced increasing calls to step down from her role after she admitted she underpaid stamp duty when purchasing a flat in Hove
GB News hosts speechless as Angela Rayner ‘stepping down’ is bad news for Keir Starmer (Image: GETTY)
GB News presenters Ellie Costello and Stephen Dixon were joined by Charlie Rowley on Thursday’s programme where the former political adviser ripped into Angela Rayner‘s “failure” to pay the correct amount of stamp duty, saying regardless of circumstances, she should resign. It comes after the deputy prime minister and housing secretary said arrangements on her family home in Greater Manchester meant she should have paid a higher rate. She denied she had tried to dodge the extra tax, blaming the “mistake” on initial legal advice that failed to “properly take account” of the situation. Sir Keir Starmer stood by his deputy at Prime Minister’s Questions, saying he was “very proud to sit alongside” her.
However, his loyalty towards his colleague has been called into question as host Ellie quizzed: “What do you make of accusations the prime minister has misled the public when he was saying Angela Rayner was a victim of misogyny – when its understood Number 10 knew at that time Angela was seeking independent legal advice on this situation and that potentially she had not paid enough tax?”
GB News hosts Stephen Dixon and Ellie Costelo were left speechless (Image: GB NEWS)
Charlie suggested he was unsure who was advising the prime minister but if Angela were to resign it would not fare well for Starmer.
He said: “If he is now siding with Angela Rayner and trying to call other people holding her account or scrutinising her – they’re not a campaign organisation. This is the government sworn into office.
“They take up their seats of office and have to be held to the highest and moral standards in public life.
Charlie continued: “If you’ve got the deputy prime minister who has done fantastically well, in terms of social mobility, has come from humble beginnings, that is why people like you. But it does not exonerate you having to play by the rules like everybody else.
Former political adviser Charlie Rowley addressed Starmer and Rayner (Image: GB NEWS)
He then claimed she was “not fit for public office” and said this latest scandal is a humiliating blow for Starmer who is attempting to have a Labour relaunch which was announced on Monday.
“She has probably done Keir Starmer a favour because he said he had full confidence in her on a Monday,” Charlie explained, “then two days later she admitted she made a mistake.”
He went on: “There is clearly a breakdown in communication about what happened at Number 10 and her affairs.
“It doesn’t look good. She’s taking too much attention away from the government. It’s becoming a headache for the prime minister and it would be better owning the situation, resigning and allowing the government to move on with their progress.”
