Angela Rayner: I'm relaxed about the rich... if they pay tax

Labour's lawman person Angela Rayner has admitted she is relaxed astir radical becoming "filthy rich... arsenic agelong arsenic they wage their taxes".

She said Labour wants radical to "create wealth", echoing celebrated remarks made by the party's erstwhile rotation doctor, Peter Mandelson.

Speaking to the BBC's Political Thinking podcast, Ms Rayner was asked astir her views connected wealthiness and class.

Asked if Labour believed successful aspiration, she said: "Absolutely, 100%."

Her comments correspond a displacement distant from the connection utilized by Labour MPs and shadiness ministers nether the enactment of Jeremy Corbyn.

Launching Labour's run up of the wide predetermination successful 2019, Mr Corbyn promised to "pull down a corrupt system" and marque the UK's affluent elite wage their mode with caller taxes.

In 1 tweet, the left-wing person said "there would beryllium nary billionaires and nary 1 would unrecorded successful poverty" successful a just society.

But speaking to the BBC's Nick Robinson, Ms Rayner - who roseate to Labour's beforehand seat erstwhile Mr Corbyn was person - struck a much pragmatic tone.

She was asked if she agreed with Lord Mandelson who, successful 1998, said of New Labour: "We are intensely relaxed astir radical getting filthy affluent arsenic agelong arsenic they wage their taxes."

"If that means that they're going to beryllium filthy affluent arsenic helium [Lord Mandelson] says, I wouldn't usage that term, but radical are going to person large wealth," Ms Rayner said. "It's astir sharing that wealthiness and knowing wherever that wealthiness comes from."

Ms Rayner said she would not beryllium attacking caller Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for being rich. Mr Sunak - whose wife, Akshata Murty, is the girl of an Indian billionaire - is thought to beryllium 1 of the richest MPs successful Parliament.

Being affluent was not a occupation for a premier minister, Ms Rayner said. But, she added, however helium and his household had utilized that wealthiness was.

Ms Murty came nether the spotlight earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile her non-domiciled presumption was revealed, meaning she did not person to wage immoderate taxation connected her net from extracurricular the UK. She aboriginal agreed to wage UK taxes connected her worldwide income.

"Don't preach to america if you're not paying your taxes and not doing the close thing," Ms Rayner said.

Putting the PM's wealthiness aside, Ms Rayner said Mr Sunak becoming the archetypal premier curate of Asian practice was a "historic moment" for the UK.

She said "it wasn't the clip and place" for a tweet shared by Labour MP Nadia Whittome, who was ordered to delete a post saying Mr Sunak becoming premier curate "isn't a triumph for Asian representation".

"Sometimes it's bully to halt and look astatine thing for what it is and accidental this is simply a bully thing," Ms Rayner said.

The Labour lawman person - who has made a governmental constituent of her working-class roots - said her inheritance has besides often been brought up successful a antagonistic way.

She said: "I get truthful overmuch maltreatment from people, saying large astatine 16, nary qualifications. She indispensable beryllium thick.

"Well, I'm intelligibly not heavy due to the fact that I wouldn't beryllium wherever I am. I'm 1 of the astir palmy politicians of my generation, you know, my quality and my achievements person been, by immoderate measure, person been arsenic bully arsenic anybody else, whether privately educated oregon not, PhD oregon not.

"So I'm not stupid. I deliberation the much radical tin spot endowment not conscionable successful presumption of you've got this world qualification, the amended it is."

Nick Robinson's interrogation with Angela Rayner volition beryllium broadcast connected BBC Radio 4 astatine 17:30 BST connected Saturday 29 October, and volition besides beryllium disposable connected BBC Sounds and the Political Thinking website.