Angela Rayner says Starmer should ‘reflect on’ stepping aside after HMRC clears her over tax affairs - UK politics live

The former deputy prime minister said she should be keen to ‘play my part’ in the event of a leadership contestFull report: Angela Rayner cleared by HMRC over tax affairs paving the way for potential leadership bidJames Murray, the chief secretary to the Treasury, has been the No 10 voice on the airwaves this morning.In an interview on the Today programme, he urged Labour colleagues to “step back” from supporting a leadership contest. He said:I would say to all colleagues, take a deep breath. Take a step back.Make sure that we recognise we’re less than two years into this parliament. Look at what we’ve done so far. Look at the benefits of the stability that we brought to government, make sure that we don’t go into a chaotic process of uncertainty, and make sure we focus on what people want us to be doing.He is the health secretary, and I hope he is the health secretary by the end of the day. Continue reading...