This sorry Angela Rayner affair has been highly damaging to Starmer’s promise to clean up politics
Rayner pain
LABOUR has spent weeks trying to contemptously swat away the serious allegations facing Angela “Two Homes” Rayner.
Tactics have ranged from declaring the row a Tory smear to the bizarre claim that the wannabe Deputy PM is being picked on because she’s a “northern” working class woman.
Yesterday, as the cops announced they are formally investigating Rayner for providing false information about where she lived, the spinning by Labour HQ had to stop.
Rayner — who is facing separate claims that she avoided paying capital gains tax on the sale of her council house — is of course innocent until proven otherwise.
What smells so bad, however, is the way Labour has treated legitimate questions from the Press — and Rayner’s own rank hypocrisy.
She has built her fiery reputation by laying into Tory MPs and candidates, calling for their resignations or demanding they publish their tax returns.
When Boris Johnson was being probed by the police, she asked: “How on earth can he think he can stay on as Prime Minister?”
Why is it one standard for her and another for everybody else?
How is that she isn’t stepping down immediately — as she demanded of the ex-PM?
The police must now be allowed to get on with their inquiry to establish the truth.
But, whatever the outcome, this sorry affair has been highly damaging to Sir Keir Starmer’s promise to clean up politics.
Number nuts
THE very least expected of the Bank of England is that its numbers add up.
So it’s as staggering as it is depressing to learn Threadneedle Street’s computers have all the IT capability of a Casio calculator.
In failing to predict and therefore contain spiralling inflation, bungling governor Andrew Bailey signally failed in his basic job.
And struggling families have paid the price.
Is it too much to think he might say sorry for his costly incompetence?
Animal tragic
IN a woke rebrand, the RSPCA has decided to preach “respect” for snails and spiders.
Donors give their money to help rescue animals facing unimaginable cruelty — something its inspectors do brilliantly.
What they don’t want is for their cash to be spent on dismal, virtue-signalling nonsense.
Stick to the day job.