The fallout from Angela Rayner’s stamp duty admission continues to dominate Friday’s papers. It’s “Judgement day” for the deputy prime minister, says the i. The paper reports the PM is “prepared to sack” Rayner if his ethics adviser’s findings go against her in his investigation. It adds that Sir Laurie Magnus’s report could be expected as soon as Friday.
Rayner’s lawyers say they did not give her tax advice and are being made “scapegoats” in her tax scandal, according to the Times. The paper features the conveyancing firm that acted on the deputy PM’s behalf when she bought the Hove flat saying they did not advise her she was eligible for a lower rate of stamp duty. Rayner has said the taxation “mistake” was the result of incorrect legal advice which failed to “properly take account” of her circumstances. Alongside, the Princess of Wales is pictured during a visit to the Natural History Museum on Thursday.
“Rayner’s lawyer rebuts her tax claim” echoes The Daily Telegraph. The paper says the comments are a major blow to the deputy PM’s case as she fights for political survival. Also front and centre is a “farewell to the king of the catwalk”, as the paper pays tribute to Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani who has died aged 91.
“Writing’s on wall for Rayner” is the Daily Star’s take. It features a picture of the words “tax evader” written in graffiti outside the apartment building in Hove where the deputy PM owns a flat. A spokesperson for Rayner has called the act “beyond the pale”.
It would be an “insult not to sack Rayner” is the Daily Express’ headline. The paper quotes farmers who are “furious” over the deputy PM’s scandal.
The deputy PM is at a “crisis point” declares the Daily Mirror. The paper says Rayner’s stamp duty row has deepened after lawyers denied giving her tax advice and the PM refused to rule out firing her.
The Sun focuses on what it says is a viral AI-generated rap video mocking Rayner’s ordeal. The paper features an image from the video of the deputy PM holding a roll of banknotes and wearing several gold chains.
“Nadine Dorries quits Tories to join Reform”, writes the Daily Mail. The paper says the former Conservative culture secretary is joining forces with Nigel Farage “after months of secret negotiations”. The Mail calls the move a “seismic blow” to the party she’s served for more than 30 years.
Labour MPs are urging the PM not to meet the Israeli President Isaac Herzog during his planned trip to London next week, the Guardian says. The paper reports Herzog’s visit comes at a fraught time as the UK prepares to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly. Elsewhere, “the world has lost a giant” headlines the Guardian’s coverage of Armani’s death, as it spotlights the designer surrounded at one of his fashion shows.
Thousands of staff at Lloyds Banking Group are at risk of losing their jobs as the bank prepares to inform its lowest performers they must improve their work or be sacked, the Financial Times reports. The paper also remembers Armani as a “creative force” who put Italy at the forefront of global fashion.
Finally, The Metro leads with the discovery of “mind-mending chemicals”. The paper says a trial has revealed taking small amounts of LSD can keep severe anxiety at bay for weeks. Experts have hailed the breakthrough as “a true turning point in the history of psychiatry”.
