I feel sad about Angela Rayner

[Neededa]

OK, I am left leaning so maybe I am already biased, BUT, I do feel sad that a woman who overcame early issues, who was “proper” working class, who didn’t speak the kings English, but rather with a proper local dialect, and achieved a high office without a single spoon in her working class mouth, has gone.

i do understand that many people will agree with what has happened. I would have been fuming if the story played out the way it had as a different party, and I understand that Angela had to go, BUT as a woman who believes in holding up other women, particularly those who aren’t born to certain families, or have expectations placed on them from word go, I do feel a bit sad this morning.

There was a working class woman in the House of Commons. A working class woman was the deputy prime minister of this country. It is not even 100 years since working class women could vote. I feel sad.

I felt sad too. Can’t understand how such a mistake could be made. But still felt sad

Conveyancers aren’t tax advisors. It is not remotely within their remit to understand the intricacies of beneficial interests in trusts.

Tax is incredibly complicated in the UK. Even within tax work people specialise in one kind of tax. At work, our VAT advisor would refuse on principle to provide anything behind the most basic of advice on corporate tax.

I agree OP - it’s really sad just at a time Labour needed her, but she’ll be back at some point.

I feel extremely disappointed. She was a bit of a hero to me. I had a similar background - I was a teen mum raised by a DM with a severe mental health condition. I was beyond proud to see her become deputy PM. She faced a torrent of sickening misogynistic snobbery and abuse, and held her head up. I have a lot of admiration for that.

I don’t believe for one second that it was an ‘honest’ mistake. You can’t claim to be a socialist and then not do the ‘right’ thing. If you’re faced with a grey tax situation, you pay the tax. No question.You absolutely cannot stand up and berate tax dodgers while gaming the system yourself. “Be the change you want to see.” You should be lily white.

Nor can you accept expensive gifts from wealthy donors without being in their pockets. It’s murky as hell.

She was a hypocrite. It seems she’s proven the naysayers right, and that makes me furious.

I feel sad too - because has simply reinforced my view that nearly all politicians of all persuasions are useless, greedy and power mad. Before the last election we had a terrible government and a terrible opposition. Nothing has changed. Our entire political system is broken and I can’t see any way that it can be fixed. It’s very depressing.

I do too. Although I do think if you are in a position of power you should realise that you have a target on your back and should act accordingly. So everything you do should be checked many times by as many people as you can find, lawyers, accountants, your advisors.

They were professional conveyancers, not tax advisers. They advised her to get specialist advice but she didn't. Given her profile and position, she must have known that she come under scrutiny. She should have taken far more care than the average person would, especially as her circumstances (having another property in trust) weren't run-of-the-mill.

This transaction was not standard as she was using money from her disabled son’s trust fund as part of the purchase of the Hove apartment, in order to reduce her stamp duty liability. It was obviously complicated and she should have taken proper advice, she was the deputy PM for goodness sake, she has to be squeaky clean. In tax matters, ignorance of the rules is no defence.

My biggest issue with her, as with most of these Labour politicians, is that she doesn’t support women or even actually seem to know what one is. Although her replacement Lammy is also an abject moron in that regard.

‘Simple misunderstanding’? She was heavily investigated not long ago over the purchase of her original Council house, which she was able to buy at a much reduced price thanks to the Tory government many years ago. She then eventually sold her share in the family home (which had been adapted for her very disabled son) to her son! And she did this in order to buy another home at the other end of the country to him. Great parenting eh Angela.

I feel disappointed in her and angry with her. I think we deserve integrity from our politicians, but agree that classism and misogyny play their part here.

Needless to say the press are having a field day. I suspect that if she had been a white male of a different political persuasion it would probably have been ignored.

I feel sad too. I'm not a labour voter but would be if I lived in England. I find her a very inspiring woman, exactly who we needed in the Cabinet after the years of Tory government. I do hope she'll be back

I don’t like her at all. I think she should’ve gone. I’m also really sad about it. Even though it’s wrong, she should’ve known she had to be better than other MPs as she was representing all working class women on a large stage.

I find it really disappointing and frustrating that she’s let this happen, especially after her last tax scandal, when to me (someone who works in tax) it was such an obvious problem that was easily solved.

I’m not a Labour voter but I’m really quite angry how they made themselves out as better than the other government and now have no regard at all for the optics of what they’re doing or even making sure they’re meeting bare minimum standards.

So this centre-right non-Raynor Mumsnetter from working class backgrounds feels sad with you.

Me too.
Her tax mistake is nothing in relation to the gigantic tax evasions and dodgy deal of numerous tory mps who remained in post.
She was a huge target for those who hated that a working class woman had the audacity to speak up in the old boys club.

I do feel for her, I’d also like to see the report. I don’t know if it’s an act of omission or commission and I think that matters.

No, I am annoyed that someone in our Government especially in such a high position didn’t check and double these things.
She will have access to right advice, tax/trusts etc are incredibly complicated.

Was this house put into trust to try and avoid stamp duty?

That really is not the point.
I agree that AR probably made an honest mistake and I agree Tories have also been found doing similar/worse.
BUT who was mouthing off in the Commons and to the press, baying for resignations, calling for heads to roll, calling people scum?
No other than AR of course.
In my eyes, that is the reason she had to go. The mistake itself could have been managed, but the sheer hypocrisy made it much, much worse.
Being working class, a single mother at 16, having a Northern accent, being a woman etc does not give you a free pass to behave in a way you have hounded others for behaving in the past.

It was great parenting, she got her son a forever home and invested in property. Gifting property, outside of trust funds, has its own issues. It's better to legally sell.
You're right about her being heavily investigated. That's the point, she's been investigated in a way Michelle Mone, other cronies and male politicians haven't. Unfortunately WC women will never be 'one of them'. They tried to go after Tracy Brabin, but could only criticise her clothes.

I did feel sad when the situation first came to light, however as more information has come out bit by bit, it is very hard to believe that it really was a mistake.

Whilst I am not a Labour supporter, I do believe she was one of the few politicians who genuinely went in to politics for the right reasons, starting with her time as a trade unionist, and that her driving force was always to represent the people and do good in the world.

However I also believe that ultimately, power corrupts, and no one regardless of background is immune to this.

I’ve always rather liked her, although I don’t agree with her on a few things. I think it probably was an honest (if stupid) mistake, but it’s right that she resigned.
Badenoch’s reaction is, as ever, spiteful and dishonest.

I don’t feel sorry for her at all. She deserves what she got (she should have fully lost her job in my opinion) . She avoided paying tax and was caught. If she has a complex tax situation, she needs proper advice. She would have been the first to bray and shout ‘tory scum’ if someone from the conservative party did the same.

absolutely, and her hypocrisy and lack of integrity has done huge harm to the Labour Party. I heard a couple of girls on a station platform yesterday afternoon likening her to ‘Napoleon the Pig’ - must have been reading Animal Farm at school!
I’m saddened that honesty and altruism seem to have disappeared from government. There’s no sense of ‘service’ or people doing what’s right anymore.

How have we ended up where we have venomous Marxists killing off any aspirations (apart from theirs) at one end of the spectrum and odious sexist, racist bullies like Farage at the other, with no one in the middle?!

Didn’t she inflate the house asking price, so benefiting from more of her disabled son’s trust?

Agree. It's not unexpected and the same shit though.
Although AR is 'I'm one of you..... applaud me for this, but don't expect me to be held to the same standards and legalities as you'.....

Yes it's sad, but she did bring this on herself and but questions need to be asked of the Labour Party/Govt? why the heck aren't all things like this run by them first?
An 800k property, even if all done correctly will have the right wing press all over it.
Just as they did on Rayner and false CGT allegations earlier.

Its just a shame that when its a Tory involved in tax evasion, the press/public don't care, Zahawi under paid £5m in tax.... as chancellor!!!

No resignation required.

The irony is, once her son is 18, next year, she can reclaim the additional SLDT, as he can then own property himself.