Lord Ashcroft demands apology from Sir Keir Starmer after Labour leader ... trends now
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Lord Ashcroft has demanded an apology from Sir Keir Starmer after the Labour leader accused him of 'smearing' Angela Rayner over her tax affairs.
The Conservative donor, whose recent book about the deputy leader has led to questions about her former living arrangements, hit back after Sir Keir's jibe during this week's Prime Minister's Questions.
Sir Keir told the Commons on Wednesday: 'We have a billionaire Prime Minister and a billionaire peer, both of whose families have used schemes to avoid millions of pounds of tax, smearing a working-class woman.'
Yesterday, Lord Ashcroft said: 'I am shocked that a former director of public prosecutions could abuse parliamentary privilege by accusing me of smearing Angela Rayner over tax allegations.
'If he reads my book, which I would suggest is an essential precursor for offering a critical view about its contents, he will discover that I make no allegations whatsoever about any impropriety on the part of his deputy. I think an apology might be in order.'
Angela Rayner has ducked media questions after police began an investigation into her 'two homes'
Lord Ashcroft has demanded an apology from Sir Keir Starmer after the Labour leader accused him of 'smearing' Ms Rayner
Parliamentary privilege allows MPs to make statements in the Commons that are exempt from
