Sir Keir Starmer has repeatedly refused to say if he would sack his deputy Angela Rayner should an investigation conclude she broke the ministerial code, after she admitted underpaying stamp duty on a property purchase this year.
The Prime Minister said “of course” he will act on the findings of an ethics investigation conducted by his independent standards adviser into the tax affairs of his deputy, who is also Housing Secretary.
In an interview with the BBC, he said: “There’s a clear procedure. I strengthened that procedure. I am expecting a result pretty quickly.
“I do want it to be comprehensive… and then of course I will act on whatever the report is that’s put in front of me.”
Ms Rayner has been under mounting pressure in recent weeks after reports emerged she had saved £40,000 in stamp duty on a property purchase in Hove by not paying the higher rate reserved for additional home purchases.
She referred herself to independent adviser Sir Laurie Magnus and said she made a “mistake” in paying the standard rate, based on legal advice she received at the time.
