Labour ridiculed for planning war on tax dodgers amid Angela Rayner controversy

LABOUR was ridiculed for unveiling a crackdown on tax dodgers while Angela Rayner faces questions about her own financial affairs.

Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves today set out how she will raise £5billion a year by reducing the tax gap.

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That is the difference between the amount that should be collected and what actually is.

The party said it will invest up to £555million a year to boost the number of compliance officers at HMRC.

But the plans were slammed as wishy-washy by experts — and come as Deputy Leader Ms Rayner is under scrutiny over claims she may have wrongly avoided capital gains tax on a 2015 house sale.

Ms Reeves had to deny Ms Rayner is a tax avoider, telling the BBC: “She has answered questions about this and I have confidence that, you know, ten years ago, she paid the right amount of tax when she sold her home.”

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Ms Rayner denies any wrongdoing and has the backing of Sir Keir Starmer.

He this week insisted “nobody is interested” in claims his deputy dodged capital gains tax.

But Treasury minister Nigel Huddleston said: “When it comes to tax — it’s one rule for the British people, another rule for the Labour leadership.”