The Prime Minister has confidence in Angela Rayner, No 10 has insisted, as criticism continues over her purchase of an £800,000 Brighton flat.
Asked if Sir Keir backs his deputy, Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said on Monday: "Yes, the Prime Minister works closely with the Deputy Prime Minister ... on delivering on the public's priorities.
"There is a court order which restricts her from providing further information, which she's urgently working on rectifying in the interests of public transparency."
The spokesman rejected a suggestion that Darren Jones, who has been appointed to the new ministerial role of chief secretary to the Prime Minister, would be a de facto deputy prime minister.
Ms Rayner is facing growing pressure over her property portfolio amid suggestions that briefings against her are being fuelled by a Labour “civil war” over who should succeed Sir Keir.
Conservatives have called for Ms Rayner to face an ethics inquiry after it was reported she saved tens-of-thousands-of-pound in stamp duty when she bought an £800,000 flat in Brighton in May by declaring it her primary residence.
It has been alleged she removed her name from the deed of a family property her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency to dodge the £40,000 payment.
Tory Shadow Cabinet minister Alex Burghart claimed it was “very likely” that damaging information about Ms Rayner’s tax affairs was coming from within the Labour.
He told the Daily Mail: “This is the sort of infighting we are going to see a lot more of in public as Labour politicians fear the collapse of Keir Starmer's regime and start briefing against each other.
“The Prime Minister's popularity is at rock bottom and it is no surprise that the vultures are circling.
“Now they are starting to fight each other and while they are doing that they are not focused on the needs of the public, such as the crisis in the Channel or the problems in the economy. Their only concern is their own advancement.”
Stamp duty rules mean buyers pay a surcharge if a residence is classed as a second home.
But Ms Rayner, who is also the Housing Secretary, avoided paying the full £70,000 and is thought to have paid £30,000 instead, according to an investigation by the Telegraph, after her name was taken off the deeds of her house in Greater Manchester.
The Mail On Sunday reported she split the ownership of her £650,000 constituency home with a trust administered by law firm Shoosmiths.
The newspaper suggested the legal manoeuvre would be consistent with Ms Rayner placing some of the house’s equity in trust for her three children, but the Tories questioned whether the move was intended to avoid potential inheritance tax liabilities.
Allies of Ms Rayner rejected the suggestion the move had anything to do with inheritance tax.
Ms Rayner for the government minister insisted that she “paid the correct duty owed on the purchase, entirely properly and in line with all relevant requirements” adding that "any suggestion otherwise is entirely without basis.”
They added that the Brighton and Hove flat is not her primary residence for council tax purposes and is liable for a second homes premium, which the Deputy PM is paying in full.
The Education Secretary defended her colleague on Sunday and said it is up to Ms Rayner how she spends her money.
Bridget Phillipson said: “Angela Rayner has been clear that she followed all the rules and requirements of her, that she has followed the rules completely.
“That is her position, that she has done everything that has been asked of her.”
Asked whether there is anything hypocritical about the Deputy Prime Minister’s actions, Ms Phillipson told Times Radio: “If an individual wants to buy a property, whether that individual is Angela Rayner or anybody else, they are entirely within their rights to spend their money as they choose.”
