‘I don’t need to see the legal advice to believe her,’ Starmer says as pressure mounts over Angela Rayner’s police probe
SIR Keir Starmer today insisted he doesn't need to read Angela Rayner's two homes scandal legal advice because he believes she's done nothing wrong.
The defiant Labour chief backed his under-fire deputy who is being investigated by Manchester cops over her living arrangements and tax affairs.
On Good Morning Britain he defended choosing not to read the legal advice Ms Rayner claims exonerates of her any wrongdoing.
Sir Keir told GMB: "The question at the end is quite straight forward. Do you believe Angela Rayner about where she says she was living?
"The answer to that question from me is yes. I don't need legal advice to tell me whether I believe Angela Rayner when she tells me where she's living."
The opposition boss added that legal advice is "confidential for a reason" and he would never ask a member of his shadow cabinet to view their medical records.
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He said: "I believe her. I don't need legal advice to tell me that I believe my deputy when she tells me where she was living 10-15 years ago.
"I believe her and I've talked to her about it."
Tory Chairman Richard Holden this morning hit out at Sir Keir, accusing him of being secretly worried Ms Rayner is guilty.
He said: “Labour are still desperately trying to cover up why Sir Keir Starmer hasn’t looked at Angela Rayner’s legal advice.
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“Sir Keir is refusing to give Angela Rayner his full support and to even ask to see the legal advice that supposedly exonerates her. Either Sir Keir is worried Angela Rayner has done something wrong and trying to distance himself from it, or he is deliberately turning a blind eye to the scandal engulfing his Deputy Leader.
“Sir Keir Starmer should show some leadership, grasp the details of the scandal or people will rightly wonder who is running the Labour Party if not him.”
Sir Keir's backing for Ms Rayner comes as her own dad has cast doubt over her claims in the home sale tax row.
Martin Bowen said the Deputy Labour leader was flitting in and out of the property, bringing into question her defence from allegations she dodged capital gains tax.
Ms Rayner is being investigated by police and HMRC over whether she lived at her ex-council house in Vicarage Road, Stockport.
She claimed it was her main residence when it sold in 2015, allowing her to avoid paying capital gains tax of up to £3,500.
She has denied any wrongdoing and a Labour source insisted the house was “her main home”.
But Conservative Party Deputy Chairman Jonathan Gullis said: “This raises more questions about Ms Rayner and her council home.
“She should come clean about what was going on.
“The easiest way to do that is by publishing the legal advice that supposedly exonerates her.”
Earlier this month, Greater Manchester Police said it was re-opening its investigation after a complaint by Tory Party deputy chairman James Daly.
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Ms Rayner has said she has consulted tax and legal experts and claimed that the Vicarage Road house was her “principal property”, although she also spent time at her husband’s Lowndes Lane property.