Labour’s Angela Rayner has rejected accusations of hypocrisy after she personally benefitted from a housing policy developed by Margaret Thatcher that she has since criticised.
The party’s deputy leader and shadow levelling up secretary insisted she was not “ashamed” to have bought her council house at a discounted rate in 2007 under the late former prime minister’s right-to-buy scheme – despite wanting to review it if her party gets into power at the next election.
The Labour frontbencher issued the response after the Mail on Sunday revealed she had made a £48,500 profit on her ex-council house under right-to-buy, which she has previously criticised for giving some tenants “loads and loads of discount”.
The newspaper reported Ms Rayner bought her own former council house in Stockport, Greater Manchester, with a 25% discount in 2007 and realised the increased return when she sold it at the market rate eight years later.
The revelation about Ms Rayner’s house sale – due to be published in Lord Ashcroft’s biography of the Labour deputy leader, Red Queen – comes after she promised to review the high discounts introduced by the coalition government in 2012, as well as a review to stop newly-built social homes from being sold off.
Tory MP Mark Jenkinson posted a link of the article on X, formerly known as Twitter, and wrote: “So Angela Rayner is a massive hypocrite, who knew?”
But in her own post on the social media platform, Ms Rayner said being able to buy her council house in 2007 was a “proud moment for me”.
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“I worked hard, saved and bought it by the book,” she said.
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“I’m not ashamed – but I am angry that the Tories have since put the dream of a secure home out of reach for so many others.”
She added: “It’s clear that Lord Ashcroft and his friends not only take an unhealthy interest in my family – but want to kick down at people like me who graft hard in tough circumstances to get on in life. I won’t let them.”
The right-to-buy scheme was brought in by Baroness Thatcher as part of the Housing Act of 1980 and allows council tenants to buy their properties at a big discount.
Under the system, councils can only keep a third of the receipts from each sale to build a replacement home, with the rest going to the council and government for other purposes.
Councils are also prevented from borrowing to make up the shortfall.
In 2012, David Cameron increased discounts offered by the right-to-buy scheme after they were reduced by Tony Blair’s Labour government in 1997.
Ms Rayner said Labour believed those who live in a council house “should have the opportunity to own their own home”.
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“Working people should be able to buy the social home they rented for a reasonable discount,” she added.
“We’ve said we’ll review the unfair additional market discounts of up to 60% the Tories introduced in 2012, long after I was able to exercise the right to buy (25%) under the old system. That’s not hypocrisy, it’s the right thing to do.
“But the problem with the right-to-buy was never ordinary people’s dreams of owning their own home – it was that council housing stock was sold off and then not replaced. It’s helped fuel the housing crisis.”
In an interview with i newspaper last year, in which she promised to review right-to-buy, Ms Rayner said while she believed council tenants should be able to purchase their homes through the policy, it should be reviewed to ensure it did not have a negative impact on affordable housing.
“If someone’s lived in their property for a long time, they’ve been paying rent and it’s their home, then, yes, right-to-buy it,” she said.
“But that right isn’t that you get loads, loads of discount and we can’t replace the stock.”
Prince William has posted a picture of him and his father, King Charles, playing football to mark Father’s Day.
In the photograph, the young prince smiles as he and the future monarch stand in a garden.
The royal youngster is pictured wearing dungarees and a striped shirt, while Charles looks relaxed in a double-breasted suit jacket.
The picture of the two future kings was taken on 12 June, 1984 in the gardens of Kensington Palace.
Later that same year William would gain a younger brother, with the Duke of Sussex born in September.
As well as marking Father’s Day, the football-themed image is perhaps a nod to England’s opening match in the Euros, which takes place on Sunday night.
Gareth Southgate has said he “expects everybody to enjoy the football” when asked about the heightened security risk of England’s opening Euros match against Serbia.
The England manager was responding to a question at a pre-match news conference on Saturday about the decision to ramp up security measures for today’s game in Gelsenkirchen.
Asked for his message to supporters, he said: “I expect everybody to enjoy the football.
“I’ve been fortunate to be involved in a lot of tournaments, and travel to tournaments I’ve not been directly involved in.
“They’re great carnivals of football – an opportunity to see a different part of the world and meet people from other parts of the world, have a brilliant time, so I’m sure everybody is coming to do that.”
He added: “I hope the whole of Europe can come together for the brilliant game that we’re involved in and support their team.”
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2:40
England-Serbia match ‘high risk’
Officials have designated England’s opening fixture as a “high-risk” event, with fans served lower-alcohol beer in the stadium and banned from drinking in the stands.
More than 300,000 British fans are travelling to Germanyfor Euro 2024, making it their highest attendance since Euro 2016 in France.
Policing the first game has been made more challenging by UEFAasking for the barriers to be removed inside the stadium, with both sides being seated closer together, and two-thirds of tickets going to mixed areas.
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Southgate ‘relaxed’ that this is likely his final Euros
Entering his fourth tournament as England manager, Gareth Southgate is looking to the future.
There is 20-year-old Jude Bellingham being appointed to the leadership group.
A squad with only half its players retained from the 2022 World Cup.
And the manager himself is looking at a time when the Three Lions dugout is filled by someone else.
“I hate to put pressure on all the coaches,” the 53-year-old said. “But it could be the last tournament for all of them.”
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German police Chief Inspector Christof Burghardt told Sky News previously: “I think it’s a very high-risk game because of the history, because of the hooligans both sides have.
“Serbia has many hooligans. The English guys, with alcohol, they are sometimes very aggressive. So it’s a great job to do this, to prepare, so that hopefully nothing will happen.”
Footballing deaths a ‘great shock’
At the joint news conference with captain Harry Kane on Saturday, Southgate was also asked about the deaths announced today of two footballing figures – former Arsenal and Everton star Kevin Campell and Millwall and Montenegro goalkeeper Matija Sarkic.
Southgate said “both pieces of news were received with shock and great sadness”, acknowledging that the England players who have played with Sarkic are “feeling that even more”.
He recalled playing with Campbell, who died aged 54, at Arsenal, describing him as a “hugely popular man”.
“Kevin was the same age as me… his son has been in our junior pathway as well. Our thoughts are very much with his family at this time,” he said.
Both men said they are expecting Sunday’s game to be a challenge.
Kane told reporters: “We’re expecting a really tough game.”
Southgate added: “There are a lot of good teams in this tournament and we have to be exceptional to progress, firstly through the group, and then to have the opportunity to go further.”
Entering his fourth tournament as England manager, Gareth Southgate is looking to the future.
There is 20-year-old Jude Bellingham being appointed to the leadership group.
A squad with only half its players retained from the 2022 World Cup.
And the manager himself is looking at a time when the Three Lions dugout is filled by someone else.
“I hate to put pressure on all the coaches,” the 53 year old said. “But it could be the last tournament for all of them.
“So this is the world we’re in. I’m probably more relaxed about it because I’ve been to three. I know exactly what it involves, I know the events you have to deal with.”
Events that begin on Sunday night in Gelsenkirchen with their Euro 2024 group opener against Serbia.
It is three years since they went all the way in the competition – reaching the final at Wembley only to lose in the shootout to Italy.
Since then there has been Qatar, where England couldn’t make it to the last-four as they did at the 2018 World Cup – losing the quarter-final to France.
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It could be France posing the greatest threat again, although hosts Germany were formidable in the 5-1 humbling of Scotland in the Euros curtain-raiser on Friday night.
What chance is there of a first trophy for England’s men since 1966?
“We’ve earned the right to be, I guess, classed as one of the favourites,” captain Harry Kane said.
“Ultimately, we’re here to win it. And there will be nothing better for us and the nation itself if we do that.”
It would be a first career trophy for Kane whose move to Germany in the last year, to play for Bayern Munich, has unexpectedly not produced silverware for the former Tottenham striker.
“I think winning a major tournament with England would be one of the pinnacles of anyone’s career so that is the aim,” he said.
“For me personally, the trophies haven’t quite happened yet but it just makes me more determined and hungry to go out there and do that.”
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1:18
Kane and Southgate talk ahead of first match
And no player scored more goals in Europe last season than Kane – netting 44 times in all competitions.There was an impressive debut season with an England teammate – Bellingham scoring 23 goals for Real Madrid when not even a centre forward and only just out of his teens.
Now the prolific duo are linking up again for their country.
Kane said: “I think we complement each other really well. Whether one of us is dropping deep, the other one running in behind and vice versa.
“So an amazing player to play with. He likes to get in the box, he likes to affect games and score goals, which is always important for an attacking midfielder.
“So I think the more we train with each other, the more we play with each other, hopefully that relationship can get even stronger. But it’s so strong already.”
Southgate has also brought Bellingham into the leadership group with Kane, midfielder Declan Rice and defender Kyle Walker.
“There’s a different dynamic to this group,” Southgate said. “There’s a lot of younger players, and I want to make sure that the voices of the younger players, that I’m really in touch with that as well.
“So I don’t want to leave here with any stone unturned. I don’t want to have missed anything.
“And, it’s always important to know what the players are thinking. They have good views. They have good experiences.
“And also, there will be some decisions that I will take without talking to any of them.”