Reeves has ‘full confidence’ in Rayner, and thinks deputy PM can keep her job – UK politics live

Chancellor offers unequivocal backing to colleague following stamp duty error

In her interviews this morning Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, would not say whether she expected Angela Rayner to remain in post. Asked on LBC whether she thought that Rayner would still be deputy PM at the end of the year, Phillipson said she did not want to “speculate on or pre-judge” the outcome of the inquiry from the No 10 ethics adviser. She went on:

We’ve got a process that’s under way with the independent adviser. I’m not going to get into hypotheticals or speculate. I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’m just not going to do it. That process will run its course.

Yes, I have full confidence in Angela Rayner. She’s a good friend and a colleague. She has accepted the right stamp duty wasn’t paid. That was an error, that was a mistake. She is working hard now to rectify that, in contact with HMRC, to make sure that the correct tax is paid.

Anyone that saw Angela’s statement yesterday, saw her interview yesterday, I think will have a lot of sympathy with some of the challenging family circumstances around this, around Angela’s disabled son.