LONDON/BIRMINGHAM. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has been forced to resign over the tax scandal. Right-wing populist Nigel Farage sees his Reform UK party as the winner.
This came at just the right time for British opposition politician Nigel Farage. While the 61-year-old made a rock-star appearance at his party's"Reform UK" conference in Birmingham, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner (45) announced her resignation in London.
The Labour politician's downfall was that she had paid around €50,000 less in property transfer tax when purchasing an apartment in the southern English city of Hove. Rayner claimed to have relied on an ultimately incorrect assessment by lawyers and real estate agents.
This is a massive setback for Prime Minister Keir Starmer's social democratic Labour Party. Rayner was considered the figurehead of the party's left wing and a beacon of hope for a party that is faltering in the polls. Starmer's government is also faltering due to a faltering economy, rising living costs, and growing discontent over high immigration levels.
This is giving Nigel Farage a massive advantage in the polls. The former Brexit champion's party currently has more than 30 percent of the vote, the Labour Party 21 percent, and the Conservative Tories 17 percent. However, it remains to be seen how this would translate into seats under the British first-past-the-post system.
Farage brought forward his speech at the Reform UK party conference, which began Friday in Birmingham, due to Rayner's resignation. It was clear that a cabinet full of"unqualified people" was running the country, he said. Starmer's government was"just as bad, if not worse" than the previous Conservative government. Now Farage predicts a general election as early as 2027 instead of 2029.
Major government reshuffle
Starmer is likely to use Rayner's resignation as an opportunity for a major government reshuffle. According to British media reports, current Foreign Secretary David Lammy is set to become the new Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister. Lammy will be replaced at the Foreign Office by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. Current Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood will become the new Home Secretary.
