Angela Rayner urged to come clean on tax probe amid questions over how she was 'cleared'

Angela Rayner has been urged to come clean on the tax probe which freed up her path to No10.

HMRC shut its investigation yesterday after the former Deputy Prime Minister finally paid her £40,000 tax bill.

Ms Rayner was found to have owed the hefty sum last year after purchasing a £800,000 holiday home on the south coast - and then failing to pay stamp duty.

But the process to clear her name was accelerated after her lawyers intervened and asked if her case could be wrapped up "as soon as possible" following Labour's disastrous set of local election results.

Following the so-called "sweetheart deal", Ms Rayner announced her name had been cleared by the taxman, potentially freeing up the Ashton-under-Lyne MP's route to Downing Street.

Nevertheless, the issue surrounding Ms Rayner's tax affairs is yet to be forgotten as she now faces calls to publish all correspondence with HMRC "in full".

Alex Burghart, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: "Angela Rayner’s carefully worded statement cannot disguise the fact that she has still had to cough up £40,000 in a sweetheart deal with HMRC.

“It cannot be right that one of the top contenders to be the next prime minister only settles her tax bill for political expediency. If Angela Rayner cannot keep her own affairs in order, how on earth can she run the country? If she wants the top job, she should publish all correspondence with HMRC in full."

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Pound plummets to one-month low amid panic after Andy Burnham confirms he'll stand for Parliament

The pound fell to a one-month low last night after Andy Burnham confirmed he would stand for Parliament in his bid to oust Sir Keir Starmer.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester issued a statement shortly after 5.30pm yesterday vowing to stand in the looming Makerfield by-election.

That came around 15 minutes after Josh Simons said he would clear the way for Mr Burnham to have a shot at power.

Within minutes, the pound had sunk to $1.34, its lowest level since April 13.

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