Her tendency to brush through political controversies gave her an air of untouchability, with some dubbing her “Teflon Ange”.
Her stock had risen further still as deputy prime minister, leading on one of Labour’s key pledges to build 1.5 million homes by 2030, and helping Sir Keir quell a rebellion by Labour MPs over welfare cuts.
But the political optics of a housing secretary admitting she had not paid enough when buying her £800,000 flat in Hove were not easy on the eye.
Rayner faced charges of hypocrisy and calls for her to stand down, and she did so after admitting arrangements on her family home in Greater Manchester meant she should have paid a higher rate.
She resigned from government after the prime minister’s ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus declared that she had breached the ministerial code.
HMRC launched an investigation, and almost 10 months later, as a leadership crisis engulfed her party, a conclusion was reached.
Rayner announced she had settled £40,000 in unpaid stamp duty, and had been “exonerated” of the accusation she had “deliberately sought to avoid tax”.
In an interview with the Guardian, the prime minister’s former deputy did not rule out running in any Labour leadership race but said she would not “trigger” a contest.
Pressed over whether the prime minister should step aside, Rayner said: “Keir will have to reflect on that.”
Prior to his downfall as Labour leader, Sir Keir had suggested he could bring Rayner back into his cabinet, adding she had the “best social mobility story this country has ever seen”.
It is a story she will be hoping to continue after her return to cabinet, as Labour heads in a new direction under Burnham.
