Featured Newslinks Newslinks September 2025

Newslinks for Thursday the 4th of September 2025

September 4, 2025

Tories call for “spineless” PM to sack Rayner after she admitted underpaying tax on new home

“Angela Rayner finally admitted on Wednesday that she had failed to pay a £40,000 tax bill on the purchase of her seaside holiday home, amid growing speculation she will be forced to resign in the coming days. The Deputy Prime Minister referred herself to HMRC and the ministerial ethics watchdog, days after The Telegraph first disclosed that she had avoided the extra stamp duty normally applied on a second home. Sir Laurie Magnus, the independent adviser on ministerial standards, will now conduct a fast-tracked investigation and could interview her before the weekend. On Wednesday, Ms Rayner was attempting to cling to her Cabinet roles as Housing Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, and claimed she had been given incorrect legal advice over the sale. Sir Keir Starmer insisted he had full confidence in Ms Rayner, saying he was “very proud” to sit alongside her in Government and making reference to her “working-class background” in glowing terms. However, one Downing Street insider, asked if she could still survive, said: “I honestly don’t know. From a personal point of view, I think she’s f—-d.” In a sign that No 10 was not confident about Rayner’s future, The Sun reported that government insiders believed a ministerial reshuffle planned for Monday had been put on hold until the conclusion of her ethics review.” – Daily Telegraph

Three pads, zero excuses. Ten unanswered questions as hypocrite ‘three pads’ Angela Rayner clings to her job after tearful tax dodge admission – The Sun
Angela Rayner fights for political survival after property tax admission – FT
How Angela Rayner finally admitted underpaying tax on Hove flat – The Times
Rayner fights for political survival after failing to pay enough stamp duty – The i
What Angela Rayner did wrong – and why ignorance is no excuse – Daily Telegraph
Rayner battling for political survival after referring herself to ethics adviser – Guardian
How merciless ‘Red Queen’ Angela Rayner was brought down by a mess of her own making – Daily Mail
Keir Starmer ‘wants to do everything he can’ to save Angela Rayner – The Times
Can Keir Starmer afford to sack Angela Rayner over her stamp duty error? – Guardian
Tone deaf Starmer ‘determined’ to save Angela Rayner over ‘devastating’ £40K tax bombshell – Daily Express
What a difference two months makes! From Rayner smiling as Reeves wept in the Commons to yesterday as the tables were turned amid Starmer’s ministerial mayhem – Daily Mail
How Angela Rayner’s private life finally brought her to the brink – The Times
Is Starmer so spineless that he won’t sack his Deputy Prime Minister (and Housing Secretary!) who dodged £40,000 in stamp duty? – Daily Mail
HMRC opens investigation into Angela Rayner’s tax affairs – Daily Telegraph

Editorial

Rayner’s position is now untenable – Daily Telegraph
If Rayner somehow keeps her job the public won’t forget this sorry episode or forgive those involved – The Sun

Comment

Angela Rayner’s position is indefensible, hopeless and shameful. If Starmer fails to sack her, it will be an ineradicable stain on his government – Stephen Glover, Daily Mail
Hypocrite Rayner voted to put up your taxes while dodging her own – as she loves to say: ‘one rule for them, one for us’ – Kate Ferguson, The Sun

Meanwhile, Rayner used NHS Compensation for her son to fund second home

“Angela Rayner used £160,000 from a trust set up to care for her disabled son to buy the £800,000 seafront flat at the centre of a sleaze inquiry. The Deputy Prime Minister sold a 25 per cent share of her house in Ashton-under-Lyne to the trust for £162,500. She said on Wednesday that her son, who was born prematurely, had received an award in 2020 and that a trust was then set up to look after his interests. The Telegraph understands the payout followed an 11-year legal battle waged between the Rayners and the hospital where her son was born. Sources suggested the NHS had paid compensation following difficulties during his birth and subsequent care in 2008. Final payments can take years to be made because of the lengthy process for assessing long-term damage.” – Daily Telegraph

Angela Rayner ‘used some of her disabled son’s NHS compensation to buy second home’ – Daily Mail

Tory MPs frustrated by Badenoch’s missed opportunity to skewer Starmer and Rayner.

“Prime Minister’s Questions was terrible for Keir Starmer. Not only did the PM have to defend an appalling economic record and growing crisis of market confidence, he was forced to stand next to his deputy who has now admitted to underpaying tens of thousands of pounds in tax. Angela Rayner’s career is now incredibly damaged – perhaps fatally so. However PMQs also sparked a very serious debate about the future of another woman at the top of British politics: Kemi Badenoch. The Conservative Party leader was presented with an open goal. A bright purple, painful bruise that she merely needed to strike over and over until Keir Starmer was reduced to a blubbering wreck of hypocrisy and obfuscation. Unfortunately what the right of British politics were forced to watch was a missed penalty that makes Manchester United’s performance against Grimsby Town seem like a masterclass of sporting prowess. there was so much ammunition in her arsenal that she could have used, which went ignored. We were given a classic Kemi masterclass in trying to cover too many topics in too few questions. “I can’t understand why every question wasn’t about Rayner”, said one Tory MP with better strategic nous than Kemi’s Commons team. This comment proved to be one of the kindest reactions to Ms Badenoch’s Commons outings from a backbencher I was able to find.” – Daily Express

Fury at Kemi Badenoch as Tory leader is accused of giving Angela Rayner ‘an easy ride’ over tax admission – Daily Mail

Comment

For Kemi, here was a prize opportunity. All she had to do was rub their noses in it and Mrs Rayner would be a goner, surely. But no, Kemi goofed it – Quentin Letts, Daily Mail
How could Badenoch fail to skewer Starmer this time? – Madeline Grant, Spectator

Today

Jenrick calls for asylum seekers to be held in ‘rudimentary prisons’ and predicts a period of net emigration

“Robert Jenrick has called for asylum seekers to be housed in camps like “rudimentary prisons”, suggesting the Conservatives should go even further than Reform on the issue.In an interview with the Spectator magazine, the shadow justice secretary also said he supported a “sustained period of net emigration,” which he agreed could be up to a decade, as “the country now needs breathing space after this period of mad migration.My view is that mass uncontrolled migration has and is wrecking British culture and identity,” he said. Speaking about proposals to house asylum seekers, he said arrivals “should be detained in camps’.The facilities will need to be rudimentary prisons, not holiday camps. It’s not what Reform have suggested, which is cabins with a fence around them.” – The i

Robert Jenrick: ‘Asylum seekers should be detained in camps’ – Spectator
Robert Jenrick says UK asylum seekers should be held in ‘rudimentary prisons’ – Guardian
Robert Jenrick welcomes Nigel Farage’s plans for mass deportations – The Times

Nigel Farage raises arrest of comedian over tweets in evidence to US Congress

“Nigel Farage claimed that the UK is in an ‘awful, authoritarian position’ today as he told US politicians that online safety laws are limiting free speech. The Reform leader warned that Americans – including tech moguls – could face arrest at Heathrow over online content disliked by British authorities in the wake of the arrest of Graham Linehan. Father Ted writer Mr Linehan revealed yesterday he had been detained at Heathrow over trans-sceptic tweets, sparking a row over police priorities and freedom of speech. Mr Farage skipped Parliament’s first week back after its summer break to give evidence to the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, which is investigating the impact of the UK’s Online safety Act on US citizens. ‘He’s not even a British citizen, he’s an Irish citizen, this could happen to any American man or woman that goes to Heathrow but has said things online that the British government and British police don’t like,’ Mr Farage said of Mr Linehan’s detention. ‘It is a potentially big threat to big tech bosses and many others…’At what point did we become North Korea? Well I think the Irish comedy writer found that out two days ago at Heathrow Airport. This is a genuinely worrying, concerning and shocking situation.’ – Daily Mail

Nigel Farage says Britain is an authoritarian state like North Korea – The Times
Farage labelled ‘free speech impostor’ in US Congress clash – Daily Telegraph
Nigel Farage called a ‘Putin-loving free speech impostor’ during bumpy US congressional hearing – The Guardian
Farage warns Americans they could be arrested in UK ‘like Graham Linehan’ during Congress speech – The Sun

Meanwhile, Badenoch brands comedian’s arrest ‘a warning to everyone who values freedom’

“Britain’s top cop yesterday demanded a return to “commonsense” policing as the backlash grew over the arrest of Father Ted creator Graham Linehan for three “anti-trans” tweets. Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley called for an immediate change in the law and insisted successive governments were to blame. His response came after Tory MP Jack Rankin told Prime Minister’s Questions: “Some may have found Mr Linehan’s comments offensive, but that’s not the point. If you don’t support speech you don’t like, you don’t support free speech.” – The Sun

Linehan arrest suggests even Met Police chiefs don’t know the law – Daily Telegraph
Politicians have put us in an impossible position over free speech, says Met Police chief – Daily Mail
How Graham Linehan went from comedy star to woke enemy number one – Daily Telegraph

Comment

Britain should never be a country where speaking plain truths makes you a criminal – Kemi Badenoch, Daily Mail
Even Starmer says cops should be tackling knife crime not trans tweets. You’re the bloody PM, do something about it! – Rod Liddle, The Sun
I know four issues Farage has to tackle before he gets keys to No10 – and they mean next election is far from decided – James Johnson, The Sun

Reeves stages late Budget amid growing storm over stuttering economy

“Rachel Reeves has decided to go long. By delaying the budget until November 26 the chancellor is attempting to buy herself as much time as possible to come up with growth measures that will help reduce the huge hole in the public finances. She is doing so with good reason. The bigger the hole — and economists think it could be as much as £40 billion — the bigger the tax rises that will be needed to fill it. The Treasury will spend the run-up to the budget attempting to convince the Office for Budget Responsibility, the official forecaster, that it has the solutions to resolve Britain’s anaemic levels of productivity. Reeves has insisted she wants the budget to focus on productivity-enhancing measures that will boost growth and ease fiscal pressures without the need for tax rises. She is expected to announce further infrastructure projects such as reviving Northern Powerhouse Rail and will be keen to persuade the OBR that a slew of schemes funded by higher borrowing will improve growth prospects.” – The Times

Rachel Reeves buys herself time with a late, late Budget – The i
Five ways it’s about to get even worse for Rachel Reeves – Daily Telegraph
Rachel Reeves is accused of spelling ‘disaster for business’ by leaving her budget until late November: Months of doom-laden speculation set to cause chaos – Daily Mail
Reeves denies Britain is heading for IMF bailout – Daily Telegraph
Wealth tax needed to help working people and avoid threat from Reform, says union chief – Guardian

New Green leader says shoplifting is justifiable if you are poor

“Shoplifting is justified for Brits living in poverty, the Green Party’s new leader has claimed. Zack Polanski, 42, said people who steal because they do not have much money should be shown compassion. The former hypnotherapist told the BBC: “We are criminalising poverty and criminalising inequality — and we should have a look at that. “A lot of people who are poor have to go around stealing because they have no other option. If I had no money or any way of getting any money or food to my family then I would consider shoplifting.” Mr Polanski also said he wanted to look at the justice system, claiming it is locking up people “far too often and far too quickly”. – The Sun