Menzies claims should be investigated by police, Labour says as Starmer has full confidence in Rayner - live
Mark Menzies accused of using campaign funds to pay off ‘bad people’ and medical expenses after being locked in a flat late at night
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox
Get our free View from Westminster email
Sir Keir Starmer said he has “complete confidence” in Angela Rayner as he faced further questions on the row over whether Labour’s deputy should have paid capital gains tax on the sale of her former council house.
Speaking on a visit to Teeside on Thursday, the Labour leader said Ms Rayner had already answered questions on the row and would fully cooperate with the investigation set up by Greater Manchester Police.
He told broadcasters: “Angela’s answered no end of questions on this, she said she’s happy to answer any further questions. I have complete confidence in her and the police investigation, I think, allows a line to be drawn in relation to this.”
Earlier, Labour demanded that the police launch a probe into allegations a suspended Tory MP misused campaign funds in the latest sleaze scandal to rock Rishi Sunak’s party.
Mark Menzies has lost the Conservative whip after reportedly using thousands of pounds given by donors to fund medical expenses and having made a late-night call to a 78-year-old aide asking for help because he had been locked up by “bad people” demanding money for his release.
Labour chair Anneliese Dodds slammed the “stagnation, scandal and sleaze” engulfing Mr Sunak’s party and asked her Conservative counterpart Richard Holden whether the police had been informed about the allegations, which the party has known about for months.
We’re finishing our live coverage of the Angela Rayner and Mark Menzies stories for today.
Thanks for reading and join us again soon for all the latest updates. You can follow updates on the Rwanda bill at the link below.
Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.
Rwanda bill: Rishi Sunak doubles down on refusal to help Afghan heroes - live
Commons leader confirms Rwanda bill will return to the House of Commons on Monday
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live politics coverage.
Today we’re covering the suspension of Mark Menzies over claims he misused campaign funds, the continuing police investigation into the sale of Angela Rayner’s former council house and other stories from Westminster and elsewhere.
Stay tuned for all the latest updates.
In full: MP Mark Menzies loses Tory whip as party investigates claims he misused funds
A Tory MP has had the whip suspended over claims he misused campaign funds in the latest sleaze scandal to rock Rishi Sunak’s party.
Mark Menzies is alleged to have used thousands of pounds given by donors to fund medical expenses and to have made a late-night call to a 78-year-old aide asking for help because he had been locked up by “bad people” demanding money for his release.
The Fylde MP disputes the allegations reported by The Times, but the Conservative Party has launched an investigation into the claims.
Read the full report here:
MP Mark Menzies loses Tory whip as party investigates claims he misused funds
The Fylde MP is alleged to have used campaign funds to pay off ‘bad people’ and cover medical expenses
ICYMI: Keir Starmer accuses Rishi Sunak of ‘smears’ over Angela Rayner tax row
Sir Keir Starmer mounted his strongest defence of Angela Rayner on Wednesday, accusing “billionaire” Rishi Sunak of “smearing a working-class woman” amid a row about her former living arrangements.
As the police confirmed they are investigating multiple allegations about Ms Rayner’s former council house, the Labour leader accused the PM himself of having used “schemes to avoid millions of pounds in tax”.
Full report:
Keir Starmer accuses Rishi Sunak of ‘smears’ over Angela Rayner tax row
The police have said they are considering multiple other allegations in connection with deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner
Mark Menzies: Who is the Tory MP suspended over alleged misuse of funds?
Mr Menzies is the Ayrshire-born Tory MP for Fylde, Lancashire, who won his seat at the 2010 general election.
The University of Glasgow graduate spent years at some of Britain’s biggest supermarkets including Marks & Spencer, which he joined as a graduate trainee in 1994 .
He has been an active member of the Conservative Party since 1987 and was president of his university’s Conservative Association.
Full report:
Mark Menzies: Who is the Fylde Tory MP suspended over alleged misuse of funds?
Mark Menzies is being investigated by the Conservative Party
Watch: Liz Truss calls on David Cameron to give Israel more support after Iran attack
Liz Truss calls on David Cameron to give Israel more support after Iran attack
Liz Truss has called on foreign secretary David Cameron to give Israel more support following Iran’s attack. Iran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel last Saturday (14 April). The former prime minister said she is “concerned” the Foreign Office is “not wholly supportive of Israel”. Ms Truss appeared on ITV show Peston on Wednesday (17 April) when she was asked by the presenter: “Do you think that David Cameron, the current foreign secretary, is supportive enough of Israel?” Ms Truss replied: “I would like to see more support for Israel.”
Three-quarters of public fear misinformation will affect UK elections – report
More than three-quarters of people fear misinformation and deepfakes will affect forthcoming elections and interfere with the democratic process, according to a new report.
The Future Of Trust study, carried out by tech firm Adobe, found that 94 per cent of people it surveyed in the UK want the government to work with tech companies to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) because of fears around misinformation.
The survey of 2,000 UK adults found that 81 per cent agree that misinformation is one of the biggest threats facing society, with 76 per cent saying they currently find it hard to verify whether online content they see is trustworthy.
A number of high-profile UK politicians, including prime minister Rishi Sunak, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and London mayor Sadiq Khan, have been the subject of deepfakes in attempts to spread misinformation about them online.
Rayner will claim kitchen renovation meant no capital gains tax was due on sale of house - report
Angela Rayner will reportedly claim that she was not required to pay capital gains when she sold her former council house because the tax was offset with a kitchen renovation.
The Times reports Labour’s deputy will say that the property revamp meant that there was no tax to pay.
Greater Manchester Police has launched an investigation into the saga and is said to be looking at multiple allegations.
UK must bolster economic defences, deputy PM to warn
Britain needs to boost its economic defences to counter the “security risks” of globalisation, the deputy prime minister is set to warn.
In a speech on Thursday, Oliver Dowden is expected to set out plans to bolster the UK’s ability to deal with “economic security shocks” such as the rise in energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He was expected to announce new curbs on trade and investment with China and other countries with frosty relations with the UK.
Full report:
UK must bolster economic defences, Deputy PM to warn
Oliver Dowden is expected to set out plans to improve the UK’s ability to handle shocks to its economic security.
Labour ahead on all major political issues - poll
Labour leads the Conservatives on every major political issue, according to new poll revealing the scale of the challenge facing Rishi Sunak at the general election.
A poll by Tory peer Lord Ashcroft for the Daily Mail found the Tories trailing Labour on the cost of living, NHS and social care and immigration and asylum and other areas traditionally seen as Conservative strengths, such as crime and national security.
Some 34 per cent of voters said Sir Keir Starmer would make the best prime minister, against 19 per cent for Rishi Sunak.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies