Nigel Farage has ignited a political firestorm after targeting Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner during a speech in Washington, drawing sharp criticism from a US Democrat who labelled him a 'Putin-loving, free speech impostor'. The Reform UK leader addressed the House Judiciary Committee, prompting Jamie Raskin to denounce him as a 'Trump sycophant'.
The controversy comes as Rayner faces ongoing scrutiny over her tax affairs. She admitted underpaying stamp duty on an £800,000 flat in Hove, though she denied deliberately avoiding tax. In a Sky News interview, Rayner said she discussed the matter with her family, including her ex-husband, who she described as 'incredibly supportive'.
During Prime Minister's Questions, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch pressed Keir Starmer on why Rayner remains in office, accusing him of double standards. 'I’m not sure we would have heard all that sympathy if it was a Conservative deputy prime minister who had underpaid her tax,' Badenoch said, adding that Starmer had previously called tax evasion a criminal offence.
Starmer defended Rayner, stating she had 'gone over and above' in disclosing her circumstances, including asking a court to lift a confidentiality order relating to her son. 'I am very proud to sit alongside a Deputy Prime Minister who is building 1.5 million homes and has come from a working class background,' he said.
The exchange also saw Badenoch attack the government's economic record, claiming borrowing costs are rising because Starmer is 'too weak to control spending'. Starmer retorted that Badenoch's claims were 'as plausible as her claims about her place at Stanford university'.
