Political situation in the UK

UK Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner resigns

UK Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is resigning and leaving the government after she underpaid tax on the purchase of a new home, reports Sky News.

She says in a podcast that she received incorrect legal advice which led to the mistake.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer writes in a letter to Rayner that she has made the right decision but calls the decision “very painful”, according to Reuters.

Rayner is also resigning as deputy chairman of the Labour Party and as housing minister.

Analysis: The resignation is a disaster for Starmer

UK Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner’s resignation is a disaster for Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Labour, writes Joe Middleton in an analysis in The Independent.

“The Labour administration is already struggling to keep its head above water,” he writes.

Angela Rayner had to leave the government, says the BBC’s political correspondent Henry Zeffman in an analysis.

He has read the report by the Prime Minister’s adviser Laurie Magnus and says it is now clear that Rayner never sought expert tax advice when she bought her new home, despite a recommendation to do so.

“Rayner did not follow this advice, which Magnus says was very unfortunate,” writes Zeffman.