𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

This morning, the former deputy PM announced she’d been “cleared by HMRC” over the £40,000 stamp duty scandal, and Express.co.uk readers don’t like it one bit. I’m not surprised. It’s a little… convenient. Well isn’t it? That’s the word that kept popping up on our message boards. The timing is more than convenient for the darling of the Labour left. It’s exquisite. Because the Labour leadership battle is set to ratchet up a notch today, with Wes Streeting poised to launch his leadership bid while PM Keir Starmer teeters on the brink.

Only yesterday, looked as though Rayner might not even be in the running, given the shadow of the tax scandal. Then suddenly, just like that, the cloud lifts. I’ve been saying for weeks it was clear she expected to get off with a slap on the wrist. HMRC didn’t even administer that. According to Rayner’s own account this morning, she has settled the £40,000 bill for unpaid stamp duty and been cleared of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness.

The investigation took nine months. Teeth-grindingly slow, until suddenly it wasn’t. And it’s been settled at the right moment. Funny how these things work out.

It’s lovely-jubbly for Rayner now, who can enjoy her £800,000 seaside pad in Hove without forever cursing it for wrecking her political ambitions. This morning she was quick to break the news, and equally quick to tell us all what a wonderfully high-minded person she is, devoted entirely to the struggles of others rather than the advancement of herself.

Rayner told The Guardian that she wouldn’t rule herself in or out of any leadership contest, but nor would she “trigger” one. She then assured us she isn’t chasing personal glory. Instead, she’s seeking power out of the goodness of her heart, because she wants to deliver change. “It’s not a personal ambition, I know the difference it makes.”

That selfless statement almost brought a tear to my eye, and possibly her own. Next time she’s floating in the sea off Hove, longing for a cheeky puff of Fuji Apple e-liquid vape, she can reflect on the good she does. Somebody who not only ‘makes a difference’ but now even pays her taxes. Even if she took a little prodding.

Now she can get on with the serious business of caring for others, as she said this morning: “I want the people out there at the moment who are really struggling … to know that I’m putting all my energy into fighting for them.”

She should have even more energy to spare now that she no longer has to spend it fighting HMRC over her tax affairs. Unfortunately, she’ll be using some of that to dream of new taxes that the rest of us will have to pay. Immediately. In full. Without waiting months to see whether the taxman decides it was all an innocent misunderstanding. And no penalties at the end of it.

If you think it’s a whiffy, you’re not alone. Express.co.uk readers certainly think so. Christina11 noted that it’s now been nine months since Angela Rayner should have resigned saying: “It can’t have been a ‘cut and dry’ case to have taken that long to investigate. Yet, by some miracle she’s been cleared just in the nick of time. How lucky is she?”

Lucky indeed. Reader Cardiff gal was more forthright saying: “This absolutely stinks. Whether intentional or not, she didn’t pay what she owed. This is not the first time she’s had tax issues when buying/selling property.”

Bigdavid reflected the general suspicion that senior politicians play by different rules to the rest of us: “If any of us had been late payers we would have had interest added and/or fines. Two-tier treatment.” Finally, Sal000 summed up the sceptical mood saying: “So convenient.”

None of this will bother Angela Rayner. Today, she’s free, if £40,000 lighter. Presumably she’s good for it. Now she can get on with the hard work of climbing the greasy pole while ordinary hard-working taxpayers foot the ever-growing bill for this scandalously bad Labour government.