Newslinks for Friday 5th September 2025

Angela Rayner on the brink over tax advice claims

“Angela Rayner’s lawyers claim they did not give her tax advice and have been made “scapegoats”, The Telegraph can disclose. The conveyancing firm that handled the purchase of her £800,000 flat in Hove, East Sussex, insisted it had done nothing wrong and was only acting on the information she provided. “We did not and never have given tax or trust advice,” the firm told The Telegraph. “It’s something we always refer our clients to an accountant or tax expert for.” The comments are a major blow to the Deputy Prime Minister, who has blamed “legal advice that I received” for her failure to pay a £40,000 stamp duty bill on the purchase of her seaside holiday home. Sir Keir Starmer indicated that he was prepared to sack Ms Rayner if his ethics adviser concluded that she broke the ministerial code when underpaying stamp duty. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, said: “This is yet more damning evidence that Angela Rayner has not been honest with the British public. From the start, we’ve had nothing but excuses, deflections and lies. Enough is enough. How many final straws can there be for Angela Rayner? She must resign or Keir Starmer must finally find the backbone to sack her.” The scandal began last week when The Telegraph revealed that Ms Rayner had avoided paying £40,000 in stamp duty that would normally be owed on a second home. Her spokesman initially insisted she had “paid the relevant duty”, but she commissioned an independent KC to examine her tax affairs. On Monday evening, he told the Deputy Prime Minister that she had not paid enough tax. On Wednesday, after a week of pressure, Ms Rayner gave an interview admitting that she underpaid £40,000 of stamp duty on the seafront flat. She insisted she had relied on “legal advice that I received that said that I was liable to pay the standard stamp duty”. But Verrico & Associates, Ms Rayner’s conveyancer on the Hove flat, appeared to contradict her version of events.” – Daily Telegraph

• Keir Starmer could sack Angela Rayner TODAY amid sleaze probe as hilarious viral rap vid trolls shamed Deputy PM – The Sun
• How long can Angela Rayner last? Judgment day looms for deputy PM – The Times
• Angela Rayner could be sacked today as inquiry into £40k unpaid stamp duty looms – Daily Express
• Why is Angela Rayner’s house so much more expensive than her neighbours’? – Daily Telegraph
• Who could replace Angela Rayner? The likely candidates – The Times

Comment:

• The Rayner scandal has lost Starmer the next election – Tom Harris, Daily Telegraph
• Why Keir Starmer really wants to save Angela Rayner – Isabel Hardman, The i
• Who is Keir Starmer’s No 2 — even if Angela Rayner stays? – Patrick Maguire, The Times
• We all know Rayner is a tax-dodging hypocrite but teary TV confession revealed something even worse – Julia Hartley-Brewer, The Sun
• What Labour MPs are actually saying about Rayner behind closed doors – Kitty Donaldson, The i

> Yesterday: The Conservatives need to learn more from mistakes, whoever makes them

Nadine Dorries defects to Reform UK as their party conference begins today

“Nadine Dorries has sensationally defected to Nigel Farage’s Reform party and declared: ‘The Tory Party is dead.’ After months of secret negotiations, the former Conservative Culture Secretary is joining forces with the Reform leader as he plots a path to Downing Street. Ms Dorries explains the reasons for her bombshell decision – which will alarm Labour MPs in Reform-facing seats and heap further pressure on Tory leader Kemi Badenoch – in an exclusive article for Mail+ today. She told the Daily Mail: ‘The Tory Party is dead. Its members now need to think the unthinkable and look to the future.’ Mr Farage said last night: ‘I am absolutely delighted to welcome Nadine Dorries to Reform UK. She is a hugely successful politician, author and columnist and will be a great boost to our campaign to win the next General Election.’ Ms Dorries’ defection after three decades as a party member comes ahead of the start of Reform’s annual conference in Birmingham tomorrow, where she will deliver the opening speech. The defection is Mr Farage’s most spectacular political coup yet, and comes at the end of a summer in which he dominated the political agenda. While Labour ministers were sunning themselves on holiday, Mr Farage was pummelling the Government with attacks on its immigration policy – with Reform soaring to a 15-point lead in the polls as a result. The move by Ms Dorries – who spent 18 years as a Tory MP and is now a best-selling novelist and Daily Mail columnist – will help to counter criticism that Reform is just a one-man band. Even senior figures in Reform have conceded that, as things stand, Mr Farage would struggle to fill the seats around the Cabinet table with ministers of sufficient experience and ability. During the clandestine talks, which concluded with meetings between Mr Farage and Ms Dorries in Robin Birley’s exclusive 5 Hertford Street members’ club in Mayfair, it is understood that he did not guarantee her a job in a future Reform administration. However, Ms Dorries, 68, has not ruled out a return to the Commons: her rags-to-riches journey from a Liverpool council estate to the centre of power in Westminster, combined with her pro-Brexit and anti-immigration views, would send her to the top of the party’s selection list. With Reform now consistently ahead in the polls by a margin which puts Mr Farage within touching distance of No 10, many Tory MPs believe that some form of pact between the parties is becoming inevitable. While Mrs Badenoch has ruled out any form of agreement, Tory frontbencher Robert Jenrick – the current favourite to succeed her – is prepared to do business with Reform.” – Daily Mail

• Nigel Farage: I’m The Most Courageous British Politician Since Churchill – The House magazine
• Nigel Farage: I’ll be prime minister by 2027 – The Times
• The four things Reform must do to show it’s ready for government – Daily Telegraph
• ‘They’re toxic but popular’: businesses wary as they head to Reform’s party conference – The Guardian
• Nigel Farage’s SHOCK plan to make unelected Lords his future ‘galactic-level’ government – Daily Express
• The Farage power project – The Economist
• Nigel Farage uses private company to pay less tax on GB News earnings – The Guardian
• Rees-Mogg, Gove and pyrotechnics: what to expect from Reform party conference – The Guardian

Comment:

• How being raised in a Liverpool terrace made me a Conservative. And why I’ve made the agonising decision to leave and join Reform – Nadine Dorries, Daily Mail
• Britain and America must unite to defend freedom of speech – Nigel Farage, Daily Telegraph
• If Nigel Farage wants power, he has to ditch the libertarianism – Sebastian Payne, The Times
• Farage will be the first prime minister for 30 years with a plan for government – Sherelle Jacobs, Daily Telegraph
• Reform UK deal another killer blow to ‘dead’ Tory Party – Jonathan Saxty, Daily Express
• Who’s for the Lords? Our writers pick their Reform peers – Sam Ashworth-Hayes, Poppy Coburn, Michael Mosbacher and Tim Stanley, Daily Telegraph

> Today: Dorries defects to Reform – but is there room enough in it for both Farage and she?

Epping asylum hotel resident found guilty of sexual assault on 14-year-old girl

“An asylum seeker living at the Bell Hotel in Epping has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, assaulted the teenager and another woman in public days after arriving in the UK on a small boat. His arrest led to a wave of anti-migrant protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping and further demonstrations outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the country. District Judge Christopher Williams took just 30 minutes to return his guilty verdicts at Chelmsford magistrates’ court on Thursday. The three-day trial heard he had told two teenagers he wanted to “have a baby with each of them” and attempted to kiss them, before going on to put his hand on one of the girls’ thighs and stroke her hair. The defendant was also found to have sexually assaulted a woman by trying to kiss her, putting his hand on her leg and telling her she was pretty. Kebatu, who was a “teacher of sports” in his home country, denied all charges against him – telling the court he is “not a wild animal”. The defendant gave no visible reaction as Mr Williams told him he was guilty of two counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, and one count of harassment without violence. Kebatu is due to be sentenced at a later date. Multiple demonstrations have been held outside the Bell Hotel since July 13 – with the police making 32 arrests and charging 21 people in connection with incidents of disorder. Epping Forest District Council is taking legal action against Somani Hotels over the use of the Bell Hotel as accommodation for asylum seekers, and could still be granted an injunction when a full hearing takes place on Oct 13. Katie Lam, the shadow home office minister, said the verdict showed the risks of allowing asylum seekers “to roam around communities freely”. She added: “The crimes of this illegal migrant are shocking and heartbreaking and the victims have shown incredible bravery. This case shows the very real risks of housing illegal migrants in hotels and allowing them to roam around communities freely. This must never be allowed to happen again. Every illegal migrant should be detained immediately and swiftly deported. Anything less leaves vulnerable people at risk, betrays public trust, and sends entirely the wrong message about how seriously Britain takes border security.”” – Daily Telegraph

• WATCH: Epping Reform candidate says locals feel ‘vindicated’ by migrant’s guilty verdict – GBNews
• Epping Council applying to Supreme Court over asylum seekers at The Bell Hotel after legal challenge rejected – The Standard
• Police charge 21 people after protests outside Epping migrant hotel as force releases images of wanted demonstrators – Daily Mail

> Yesterday: Ted Newson: The Epping migrant hotel ruling is a dark day for local democracy

News in brief:

• Tory Net Zero push undermines Kemi Badenoch – David Rose, Unherd
• Can anyone save Britain from self-destruction? – Douglas Murray, The Spectator
• The British left has descended into madness – James Price, The Critic
• Will Angela Rayner fall victim to her own class war? – William Atkinson, CapX