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I thought Rayner had an appeal that Starmer didn’t so will be bad to lose here but I think she will go as it seems pretty clear that she did not actually live at her primary residence
I dunno, the Labour front bench has defended her quite strongly which I'm not sure they'd do if she's guilty.
According to the neighbours of the houses next door to her primary residence they have never seen her at all in that period which is odd isn;t it unless she only returns to her house after dark and leaves before daylight and goes out dressed in black.
I haven't followed it that closely, but would be surprised if Labour were wasting political capital on this. It's the perfect opportunity for Starmer to sack her, don't forget he's tried to before.
It’s the perfect opportunity for Starmer to sack her
Why would he do that? Firstly she was elected as deputy leader so he can't sack her from that position, but he can remove her shadow cabinet responsibilities, but even then that would be stupid. Starmer's entire campaign is that the tories are riven with factions and can't govern effectively while labour are united and ready to take over. If he doesn't stand by Rayner it'll cause a rift in the party which will blow up his campaign. He's not spent the last 12 months tiptoeing on eggshells just to lob a hand grenade into the campaign right at the end.
Also - are tax affairs normally opened up after 6 years?
Not as far as I understand them.
Rayner has been smart enough to state she’d quit if she’s found to have broken the law, which I doubt is a possibility, the tories have opened up a can of worms with this, which won’t help them in the upcoming election if it’s dirt and smear campaigns being unleashed
Why would he do that?
Same reason as last time, I expect.
I thought the cut off was 7 years
It's defo six years for most tax inspections but then deliberate evasion could be 20 years but that's not we're talking about here I guess.
Just not seen an answer to this given how far back we are talking.
Just not seen an answer to this given how far back we are talking.
It's being investigated for electoral fraud, not tax evasion, aiui.
It’s being investigated for electoral fraud,
An experty type says that with election fraud it times out after 1 year so she is highly unlikely to be prosecuted. That's what he said in an interview on the news anyway.
This is the way the Tories are going to fight the election though and Labour know it. They will be digging for dirt as it allowed them to plant the "see, we are all the same" seed in people's minds. The thing is, everyone expects the Tories to be tax dodging pervs so they are teflon to it to a degree and just need to paint labour as being the same. Voter suppression in action, the British way.
They are not the same of course.
It’s being investigated for electoral fraud, not tax evasion, aiui.
Ah. I'm not really up to speed on this one at all.
its all the same as with the beergate bollox that was exactly 2 yeats ago just before the 2022 locals, Dan Hodges went on about it relentlessly in the daily mail, Tory MPs leapt on it and pushed the police to investigate
was a waste of time & resources, but threw a bit of mud at starmer, melted away to nothing , as this will
Rayner is a working class woman & the Tories are scared of her
I heard her in an interview on this and she was very evasive. She has legal advice that she didn't break any laws but won't publish it because it has certain details in it that she doesn't want made public, unless she's forced to but then she wants everyone to publish their tax affairs.
The interviewer kept trying to pin her back to just publishing the legal advice, redacted if necessary and every time she widened it to the full tax account picture, so she could then refuse unless everyone does. Came across very badly.
Two thoughts came to mind. Either something to hide, or deliberately laying a trap.
kimbers
Full Member
its all the same as with the beergate bollox that was exactly 2 yeats ago just before the 2022 locals, Dan Hodges went on about it relentlessly in the daily mail, Tory MPs leapt on it and pushed the police to investigatewas a waste of time & resources, but threw a bit of mud at starmer, melted away to nothing , as this will
Rayner is a working class woman & the Tories are scared of her
I have to agree, once the locals are over this will be largely forgotten, the news cycle will be consumed with Tory blood letting once again.
Even so, Labour have to be whiter than white and absolutely prepared for similar attacks leading upto the GE. The Tories have had a team going over the whole of Starmer's adult life(this was reported months ago), particularly during his time in the DPP.
This is going to be a truly nasty fight as the Tories have bugger all to lose now. Labour have to be prepared for the fight and be as prepared to fight dirty too, if necessary.
Again, Sunak has "billionaire tax dodging family" written all over him but that's baked in. The sad fact is Starmer and Labour will be shouted down if there is even a scent of scandal, cheered on by the RW press.
Id like to think Labour are ready for this but they haven't handled Rayner's issue as well as they could and I hope they learn from it.
As an aside, I still think there might be blood spilt in the run up to the GE, I hope I'm wrong but there is a lot of anger being deliberately stired up out there.☹️
Perhaps it’s just my trust of who’s been in the background advising Starmers “new-new Labour” but I imagine they wouldn’t lose much sleep of turfing her out and installing someone more amenable to their way of thinking, or if I leave my conspiracy hat on for a longer period then perhaps it’s Labour “in” crowd who’ve been leaking to the press.
Either way I don’t trust Labour one little bit.
Look at which tory is pushing this - it's binners mate, james daly MP for Bury North.
Majority of 105; completely invisible to his constituents; blocks anyone who posts anything other than sycophantic posts to his social media.
He is a horse's arse.
This whole thing is a tory confected nothingburger.
IF there was a case - too late to prosecute under election law and too late to pursue for unpaid CGT so...WTF is the point - other than low level shit stirring?
It has only received any publicity because Rayner can't afford or chooses not to use a libel lawyer; compare & contrast with zahawi who immediately resorted to libel lawyers and empty threats when his financial chicanery was about to be exposed.
This is scummy behaviour by a scummy MP who is part of a scummy government who, in fact, are incapable of governing.
IF there was a case – too late to prosecute under election law and too late to pursue for unpaid CGT so…WTF is the point – other than low level shit stirring?
So the police are okay wasting time on it knowing that and then the CPS will throw it out due to being too late anyway?
Yeah, they're a bit annoyed that Rayner isn't as easy to goad into a reaction anymore, she's learning diplomacy and has grown as a politician over the last few years, so would be sad to lose her, but again, this is just the tories trying to undermine her, nothing more.
Missing Miliband has surfaced on Radio4. On now.
You can see why he has been hiding... anything good he had to say was drowned out by talk of how reduced Labour's plans are from what they were (and the interviewer [ Justin Webb? ] was right to take it that way).
Missing Miliband has surfaced on Radio4. On now
Was on LBC too
Sounded like the youngest of three kids at Christmas trying to justify the disappointment of his presents.
WTF is the point – other than low level shit stirring?
She can't be prosecuted so she can't be found not guilty
It implicates Keir Starmer because he said that he'd sack anyone that breaks the rules. That's two serious cases that he now has to deal with, it won't go away
snip...compare & contrast with zahawi...
Dan Neidle, who took Nadhim Zahawi and others on, thinks that Angela Rayner has a case to answer https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2024/04/i-looked-into-angela-rayners-tax-affairs-heres-what-i-found
Did anyone catch Starmer being interviewed by Gary Gibbon on C4?, Gary may as well as walked up to him, kicked in the nuts and walked away. 😉
I've not seen Starmer much recently - he was along with Streeting outside the hospital my mum was in the other day.
I'd have had a word with Streeting and shown him all the broken heart/blood pressure machines we kept seeing - but I had other stuff on.
'Reform' some new machines into existence Streeting?
A worthwhile watch:
Alexei Sayle on Starmer - and if he'd run against him (youtube.com)
Labour is now "the true party" of English patriotism.
What will patriotic English Daily Telegraph readers do?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/20/labour-is-now-the-true-party-of-english-patriotism/
Labour is now “the true party” of English patriotism.
What will patriotic English Daily Telegraph readers do?
It's behind a pay wall, but starmer has shown his true colours for agreeing with the conservatives in denying the right of british young folk to live, study an work in the EU.
He's no better than Nigel Farrage, to be honest. He can stick his cross of St. george right up his 'patriotic' bum hole.
It's not behind a paywall for me but try this:
Ahh thanks for that.. just from a quick skim...what a * **
It’s also about serving the country we love.
Hmmm
weakened the union
Which Union, The UK or the EU? Sir Keir is doing a grand Job of weakening the UK
That is why I have no time for those who flinch at displaying our flag. Because the cross of St George belongs to every person who loves this country
His flag, maybe, My flag is blue with yellow stars on it, or at a push, a red dragon.
Ultimately, it’s about respect.
Oh, the irony.
but starmer has shown his true colours for agreeing with the conservatives in denying the right of british young folk to live, study an work in the EU.
I'm not in the habit of defending Starmer but he really had no choice. He's spent 4 years (successfully) trying to remove the threat of brexit losing labour another election so wasn't about to blow it all up at last minute. The EU were bloody stupid to make that offer now rather than waiting til Labour are in power, and they knew what the response would be so I can only conclude there were other motivations behind it.
The more I read about Starmer the less I like him. Now he's turned into a rabid flagshagger has he? I'm going to find it very difficult to vote Labour, even though they now appear to have an outside chance of beating the Tories in Carlisle. It's very upsetting.
Have to agree with both of Dash's points, both on the EU's timing dooming their own proposal, and on Starmer. Not the hooligan stuff though... I know this is a cycling forum, but football culture is its own thing... without needing the hooligan element that nearly everyone rejects and sidelines. Labelling a football fan with the hooligan term is just lazy.
Labelling a football fan with the hooligan term is just lazy.
Anyone who is into football and wears stone island gear in public knows exactly what they're doing.
I remember people being turned away at the door for wearing Stone Island... but things have moved on since those bad old days.
There's some blinkered intolerant folk on this forum. Knee jerk bigotry isn't big, clever or limited to the right wing.
No idea why thst surprises me after all these years.
There’s some blinkered intolerant folk on this forum. Knee jerk bigotry isn’t big, clever or limited to the right wing.
Yep, always has been on this thread, Starmer is now basically a member of the English Defence League for giving a positive press article on England and St George on the week when St George's Day is on, why can't he be really negative about it in an election year 🤣
I think it's far far more troubling that people on here give Starmer a clean bill of health every time he regresses ever more rightwards.
Sorry that we ever wanted a party to push back on Conservative policy, values and attitude.
The Conservatives don’t own the Cross of St George, and right wingers shouldn’t be allowed to claim it for their own political means. Removing the idea in the minds of voters that Labour are both anti-British and anti-English has been a long slow process… Starmer isn’t going to drop that ball now we’ve finally got to an election year.