Angela Rayner confronted over claims she broke rules over donor funded New York holiday

Deputy PM Angela Rayner stayed astatine the $2.5 cardinal New York flat owned by Lord Alli implicit New Year portion connected a idiosyncratic getaway, which she registered nether Parliament's rules

Angela Rayner has said she didn't interruption the rules implicit a New York vacation funded by a affluent Labour donor.

The Deputy PM stayed astatine the $2.5 cardinal New York flat owned by Lord Alli implicit New Year portion connected a idiosyncratic getaway, which she registered nether Parliament's rules. But she initially failed to state that she was joined by on-off fellow Sam Tarry, the erstwhile Ilford South MP, according to the Sunday Times.

It comes aft days of disapproval implicit Keir Starmer and his woman Victoria's determination to judge high-end apparel and glasses from Lord Alli. No10 has present said the PM, Ms Rayner and Chancellor Rachel Reeves volition garbage aboriginal gifts of this kind.

Speaking connected the archetypal time of Labour's yearly league successful Liverpool, Ms Rayner told the BBC: "I was connected vacation successful New York. I paid for my vacation successful New York but arsenic friends do, a person allowed maine to say. I often let radical to enactment astatine mine. But what I felt and I went beyond the rules, is due to the fact that that idiosyncratic had donated to my lawman enactment (Lord Alli), who happens to beryllium a person and is simply a person successful their ain right, I felt I should state it."

Asked if she broke the rules by failing to state Mr Tarry stayed astatine the apartment, she said: "I don't judge I broke immoderate rules. I had usage of the flat and I disclosed I had usage of the apartment. In information I deliberation I was overly transparent due to the fact that I deliberation it was important, contempt it being a idiosyncratic holiday, due to the fact that that idiosyncratic had already donated to maine successful the past for my lawman enactment campaign."

The Deputy Labour person said she understood radical were aggravated astir the donations enactment but gifts were "a diagnostic of our politics". She said: "I get that radical are frustrated, successful peculiar the circumstances that we're in, but donations for gifts and hospitality and monetary donations person been a diagnostic of our authorities for a precise agelong time. People tin look it up and spot what radical person had donations for, and the transparency is truly important."

Ms Rayner added: "I get that radical are angry, I get that radical are upset. "I deliberation the transparency is determination truthful radical tin spot that. Now, if determination is simply a nationalist statement astir however we money authorities and however we bash that, and I perceive that radical are frustrated with that, but we person a strategy astatine the infinitesimal that says if you get donations, that has to beryllium declared and the rules person to use to everybody."

Ms Rayner, who comes from a moving people background, said she had needed to judge donations to conscionable the costs of moving her lawman enactment bid.

After swirling rumours of strife betwixt ministers, Ms Rayner insisted she wasn't being forced out. "I perceive this nonsense successful the quality that I'm being pushed out," she said. "I've had this ever since I was elected arsenic lawman leader. I'm not being pushed out."

Ms Rayner besides said the PM's apical adjutant Sue Gray would inactive beryllium successful station astatine Christmas aft a flurry of antagonistic briefings. She said Ms Gray was doing an "incredible" occupation and she has a "huge magnitude of respect successful the cabinet". The Deputy PM said, arsenic a erstwhile commercialized national rep, she was aggravated that Ms Gray was being "demonised".

Separately, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson was forced to support accepting currency from Lord Alli for 2 parties for her birthday, which were held "in a enactment context".

Ms Phillipson, who received a £14,000 donation from the adjacent to money a 40th day lawsuit and different reception, some attended by politicians, journalists and unions, told Sky News' Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: "The crushed that we tin person this speech is due to the fact that colleagues person followed the rules. I followed the rules. I've acceptable retired successful the registry of interests what donations were for, who they were from, and that's determination for the nationalist to see.

"What I would accidental is that, of course, it is frustrating to beryllium having this speech with you this morning, not talking astir the wider docket that we're mounting up present successful Liverpool, due to the fact that we person delivered an atrocious batch successful the precise abbreviated abstraction of clip that we person been successful government. And of course, this is simply a distraction." She said she celebrated her day by going retired for a pizza with her hubby and kids.