Angela Rayner embarked on the comeback trail today as she delivered a belated resignation speech to MPs.
The former deputy PM told the Commons that the ‘last few weeks have been incredibly tough on my family’ with the ‘toll of the incredible scrutiny’.
She said failing to pay stamp duty had been an ‘honestly made mistake’ and she recognised senior politicians needed to be held to the ‘highest standard of transparency and accountability’.
Revealing that she is in touch with HMRC about handing over money – thought to be more than £40,000 – Ms Rayner said: ‘There is no excuse not to paid taxes owed and I will do so.’
The Labour benches were packed for the appearance – following six weeks in which Ms Rayner has stayed largely under the radar.
Much of the Cabinet were on the front bench, although the premier himself had already left after PMQs.
The speech by the MP – often tipped as a replacement for Sir Keir before her dramatic exit – was greeted warmly by her own side.
She quit as deputy PM, housing secretary and deputy Labour leader on September 5 when a sleaze probe found she had broken ministerial rules.
It followed her tearful admission she had paid around £40,000 less property tax than she should have done when buying an £800,000 seaside flat in Hove, East Sussex.
Ms Rayner, whose hands were shaking as she read her speech, said this afternoon: ‘The last few weeks have been incredibly tough on my family, with my personal life so much in the public eye.
‘All of us in public life know all too well the toll of the intense scrutiny we face places on our loved ones.
‘But I’ve always believed in the highest standards of transparency and accountability, and it is what the public expects and it is the price we pay for the privilege of service.
‘That’s why I referred myself to the independent adviser and gave them access to all of the information he needed.
‘As I set out then, parents of a disabled child with a trust who divorce and seek different properties face a complex tax position.
‘If there is one good thing that can come out of this, I hope that other families in this situation may be aware of that, and avoid getting into the position that I am now in.
‘I am of course corresponding with the HMRC and they have my full co-operation. There is no excuse not to pay taxes owed, and I will do so.’
Stressing her working-class background, Ms Rayner said: ‘This was an honestly-made mistake, but when you make a mistake, you take responsibility.
‘To serve at the highest level of government was a privilege, not for the title or the office, but for the chance to change the lives of the people I grew up with and live alongside. Every day I work to serve those same working-class communities, in every decision that I made I thought of them.
‘I know the power of politics to change lives because it changed my own. The last Labour government gave me the foundation to build a better life for me and my young son.’
She went on: ‘I’m so proud that within weeks, our landmark Employment Rights Bill will become law. It’s a game changer for millions stuck in insecure and low paid work. It will give them dignity and security that they deserve.’
The resignation speech came after the Prime Minister and other Cabinet figures lined up to praise Ms Rayner at Labour’s recent party conference in Liverpool.
Sir Keir said that Ms Rayner – who did not attend the conference – had paid a ‘heavy price’ by resigning.
The PM said in an interview that he knew the Ashton-under-Lyne MP would be ‘a major voice again in the Labour movement’.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting used his speech on the main conference stage to praise Ms Rayner and tell Labour members: ‘We need her back.’
When she quit the Government – after little more than a year in office – Ms Rayner received a ministerial severance payment of nearly £17,000.
The Tories branded payment ‘outrageous’ and claimed she had been ‘rewarded for dodging tax’.
Ms Rayner received the £16,876 severance pay Cabinet ministers are entitled to when leaving office. It is equivalent to a quarter of their annual ministerial salary.
It was before new Labour rules came into effect under which ministers found to have committed a ‘serious breach’ of the ministerial code would be expected to forgo or repay their ‘golden goodbye’.
A spokesman for Ms Rayner said: ‘There is a world of difference between making an honest mistake and a severe breach of the ministerial code.
‘And as the independent ethics adviser’s investigation concluded, Angela acted with integrity and an exemplary commitment to public service.’
It was suggested the new Labour rules would not have applied to her automatic eligibility for the severance pay because her ministerial code breach was not deemed serious.
Ms Rayner had faced pressure to reject the severance payment after she previously voted against allowing ministers under investigation to receive such payments.
In February last year, she voted in favour of a motion put forward by Labour, then in opposition, that would have deprived departing ministers of a severance payout until they were cleared of any allegations.
