Angela Rayner has insisted Labour is best when it is "bold" as she vowed to "fight with everything I have" to change lives in her first public comments since resigning.
The former Deputy PM said while her title may have changed she will continue to bring determination, commitment and my socialist values" to the Commons. In a delayed resignation statement in the chamber, Ms Rayner also said the last few weeks have been "incredibly tough on my family with my personal life so much in the public eye".
Last month she was forced to resign as Housing Secretary, Deputy PM, and her elected position as Labour's deputy leader, after admitting not paying enough stamp duty on her seaside home in Hove. The PM’s ethics chief Sir Laurie Magnus ruled she had broken the rules by underpaying the tax by £40,000 on the property in East Sussex.
The rapid probe said she had “acted with integrity and with a dedicated and exemplary commitment to public service” - but found she had breached the ministerial code.
Ms Rayner said today HMRC has her "full cooperation", adding: "There is no excuse not to pay taxes owed, and I will do so. This was an honestly made mistake, but when you make a mistake you take responsibility."
Ms Rayner, who was also forced to quit as Housing Secretary, also said she was "proud" of her achievements in government. She cited the Renters' Reform Bill, seeking to give more power to tenants, and a boost to workers' rights through the Employment Rights Bill.
Speaking today, she said: "Despite the fierce criticism and the relentless lobbying from vested interests, I am so proud that within weeks our landmark Employment Rights Bill will become law." She went on: "Labour is at its best when we are bold - and I have been so proud to work alongside some of the trade unionists who nurtured and supported me, to deliver the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation."
Ms Rayner added: "I will just finish by saying that in each generation it has fallen to a Labour Government to strengthen the hand of working people. In 1945, it was maternity pay, the NHS and homes for heroes out of the ruins of war. In the 1970s, it was Barbara Castle and the fight for Equal Pay. In the 1990s, it was the minimum wage.
"And despite the opposition – because of the work of this Labour Government, we have the opportunity to write a new chapter of justice and fairness for working people. As tough as politics can be, it is nothing compared to what thousands of people in my constituency and the country face every day.
"Backbench or front bench, elected office is not about us but our chance to change the lives of others and from wherever I sit on these benches, I will fight with everything I have to do exactly that."