Angela Rayner is CLEARED by HMRC over tax affairs leaving way clear for Labour leadership bid - as she says she has made no deal with Andy Burnham

By WILL HALLOWELL, NEWS REPORTER Published: 06:21, 14 May 2026 | Updated: 06:28, 14 May 2026 Angela Rayner has been cleared by HMRC over her tax affairs, leaving the way clear for a potential Labour leadership bid as she says she has made no deal with Andy Burnham. The former deputy Labour leader said she has settled the £40,000 she owed in unpaid stamp duty It comes as Wes Streeting prepares to launch his own bid for leadership today.  Ms Rayner has she wants to 'play my part' in a potential future contest, indicating that she may put herself forward for the top job.  She told The Guardian: 'I'll play my part in doing everything we possibly can to deliver the change, because it's not a personal ambition, I know the difference it makes,' she said when asked. 'Whatever role I can play, I will keep pushing and pushing hard because I want the people out there at the moment who are really struggling… to know that I'm putting all my energy into fighting for them.' However the MP, seen to be a favourite of the Left of the Labour Party, suggested she would not fire the starting pistol on a leadership race herself.  Ms Rayner said: 'I've said to Keir this is a really significant moment for our party and the country … The pace of change hasn't been enough for voters to see, and also mistakes have really blown us off course and made voters doubt us.' Angela Rayner has said no deal has been made with Andy Burnham  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.