Angela Rayner was hailed as a ‘working-class hero’ at Labour’s conference today – just three weeks after she resigned following her failure to pay enough tax.
The former deputy prime minister was also afforded a standing ovation by Labour members at the party’s gathering in Liverpool this afternoon.
This was despite it coming less than a month after Ms Rayner quit her Government roles following her tearful admission she failed to pay correct stamp duty on a flat.
Her departure followed a Whitehall probe finding she had breached the ministerial code in relation to her purchase of an £800,000 apartment in Hove, East Sussex.
But the huge tax row appeared to have been forgotten in Liverpool on Sunday, as Cabinet minister Steve Reed paid tribute to Ms Rayner.
He told party members he had taken on his ‘dream job’ when he succeeded Ms Rayner as Housing Secretary earlier this month.
Yet Mr Reed admitted taking over at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) was ‘not under the circumstances’ he would have wanted.
‘When I picked up the phone to the Prime Minister three weeks ago, he offered me my dream job but not under the circumstances I would have wanted,’ he said.
‘So can I begin by thanking my good friend Angela Rayner for all she has done for our party and our Government over so many years – for workers’ rights, for local government, for building council homes.
‘Angela, you are a true working-class hero.’
Angela Rayner was hailed as a ‘working-class hero’ at Labour’s conference today – just three weeks after she resigned following her failure to pay enough tax
The former deputy prime minister was also afforded a standing ovation by Labour members at the party’s gathering in Liverpool this afternoon
The huge tax row appeared to have been forgotten in Liverpool on Sunday, as Housing Secretary Steve Reed paid tribute to Ms Rayner, his predecessor in the role
Mr Reed’s tribute to Ms Rayner was met by applause and cheers in the conference hall, while many delegates also rose to their feet.
Government ministers Ellie Reeves and Matthew Pennycook were among those seen joining in the standing ovation.
Later in his speech, Mr Reed set out Labour’s plans for a tranche of new towns in at least 12 locations.
‘I will do whatever it takes to get Britain building again, and we won’t just build homes, we’ll build communities,’ he said.
‘And not just communities but entire towns.’
The Housing Secretary also claimed the Conservatives had ‘crushed the dreams of families’ who struggled to access housing.
‘The Tories spent 14 years blocking the homes that people need,’ he added.
‘They didn’t just hold back the economy, they crushed the dreams of families who couldn’t afford a decent home.
‘Well conference, no more. We will fight the Tory blockers and give working people the key to a decent home they can afford to live in.’
