Loose Women’s Jane Moore has defended Angela Rayner after the Deputy Prime Minister resigned from her role over the stamp duty tax row. The MP has quit the government, admitting that she takes “full responsibility” after underpaying tax on a seaside flat she bought in Sussex.
Rayner said that she made the mistake in good faith but added: “I accept that I did not meet the highest standards in relation to my recent property purchase.” She had previously said that she did not pay enough tax on the £800k property based on incorrect “advice from lawyers”.
However, a conveyancer used by Rayner to buy the flat – Verrico & Associates – denied giving her tax advice and said that they were being made “scapegoats”. Shortly after Rayner’s resignation, ethics watchdog Sir Laurie Magnus confirmed that she had breached ministerial code.
Speaking on the ITV show, Jane said that while Rayner – who was also Housing Minister – had to resign from the post, she hopes she won’t resign as an MP.
“Well, I suppose she kind of has to,” Jane said. “We don’t know the details yet but the solicitors put out a statement this morning saying that they felt scape-goated.”
She added: “What she appears to be saying is she gave them the wrong information in good faith. I think what she’s saying is that she didn’t understand that because she put her previous property into a trust, that has tax implications on buying a new property.”
“I think what will happen here is she will now be on the backbenches, she won’t resign as an MP I hope and they certainly won’t want her to resign as an MP because otherwise it will be a byelection which in her constituency I don’t think will go Labour’s way. I think she’s a very good politician in every other respect.”
She added that if you’re Housing Minister and you break the ministerial code, “you have to go”, but reckons that Rayner will be back.
Nadia Sawalha added that while there’s lots about Angela Rayner that she finds “extremely disappointed”, it’s “a shame to lose somebody from her sort of background”. She said: “Also, I think the way that gusto that lots of people don’t like, I think we need.”
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham have been married for over a quarter of a century(Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
Wayne Rooney revealed that Victoria Beckham’s sense of humour would surprise people. The Manchester United legend discussed his experience of having dinner with the Spice Girl and husband David Beckham who Rooney spent six years with as an England team-mate.
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The all-time leading Red Devils scorer joined United a year after Beckham departed for Real Madrid but the pair had already played together on the international stage in 2003 with Rooney making his Three Lions debut whilst at Everton.
Rooney opened up about the dinner experience he had in Beckham’s Spanish abode where he was joined by other England players, including Frank Lampard. Speaking on The Wayne Rooney show podcast for the BBC, he told Kelly Somers and Kae Kurd: “I remember years ago we got invited to Becks’ for dinner.
“It was me, Lamps [Frank Lampard] and couple more players. We went to his house, me and Coleen, we were only 19 or something. We were like, ‘this is weird, what’s happening here?’ Had a walk around and he’s showing us round his house and then I open a door and his eldest boy, [Brooklyn] I bumped his head and he started crying I thought, ‘oh Jesus Christ’.
“Opened the door and bumped his head. But yeah that was surreal and we sat there with Becks and Victoria having dinner, it was like…’ Somers chimed in and asked him: “What was dinner? Was it posh?”
To which the 39-year-old immediately shone a light on their down to earth nature as he answered: “No. We met up with Becks and Victoria, me and Coleen, when he was at Madrid and went for dinner then and we were having kebabs.”
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Wayne Rooney admitted he and the Beckham’s dined on kebabs for dinner
Rooney then paid special mention to Victoria’s comical personality as he said: “He’s obviously a great lad and Victoria’s such a lovely woman and funny. A lot funnier than people would think.”
Beckham’s stint in Madrid lasted four years before he made the ground-breaking move to the MLS as he joined LA Galaxy. Seen as a shock move at the time, the ex-England captain’s decision paved the way for the likes of Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Ashley Cole to make the move to the States in the future.
