Ian Lavery: Ex-Labour Party chairman faces questions over tax affairs

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Ian LaveryImage source, Getty Images

Former Labour Party president Ian Lavery has denied suggestions that his taxation affairs whitethorn not person been successful order.

He told the BBC helium had ne'er been investigated by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and had ne'er paid a taxation penalty.

The MP for Wansbeck added that helium "does not beryllium a azygous penny" successful tax.

The taxation adept and campaigner Dan Neidle believes determination are questions to reply implicit payments Mr Lavery received from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and whether the close taxation had been paid.

The one paper has published a bid of questions which they person sent to Mr Lavery - who was president of the Labour Party nether Jeremy Corbyn's enactment - astir payments dating backmost to much than a decennary ago.

Mr Lavery had received redundancy oregon termination payments from the NUM erstwhile helium became a Labour MP successful 2010.

The national maintained that his station arsenic wide caput of Northumberland NUM was deleted erstwhile helium became an MP and truthful helium was entitled to redundancy oregon termination payments, successful enactment with his contracts of employment.

He received £30,600 successful 2010 and a further £30,000 successful 2011.

When the commercialized national watchdog, the Certification Officer, looked into the contented successful 2017, they said: "Both the national and Mr Lavery were fixed the accidental to supply documentary grounds to amusement a process oregon determination by which Mr Lavery was made redundant. Neither was capable to bash truthful and stated that nary specified documentary grounds existed."

However, the serviceman decided not to prosecute the substance further.

The i, and Mr Neidle, who helped to uncover details astir the taxation affairs of Nadhim Zahawi which led to him being sacked arsenic Conservative Party chairman, person present questioned whether the payments genuinely were redundancy payments.

The insubstantial suggested that if nary redundancy process was undertaken past the full outgo from his national should person been declared to HMRC arsenic income.

It asked whether Mr Lavery had done this and if helium had paid taxation connected the sum.

Mr Lavery declined to reply the i's question straight but told the insubstantial nary further payments had been requested by HMRC and nary penalties had been applied.

It is understood that HMRC did question to clarify successful 2017 whether the payments constituted redundancy and has subsequently not taken immoderate action.

Mr Lavery, present a backbench MP, told the BBC helium believes that idiosyncratic taxation affairs should stay confidential, but helium insists that helium has ne'er been nether probe by HMRC and that helium "does not beryllium a azygous penny" successful tax.

He added that it would beryllium "preposterous" to gully immoderate parallel betwixt his taxation affairs and those of Mr Zahawi.

Mr Neidle, a Labour enactment member, said: "When determination are undocumented payments... it is tenable to inquire whether the close taxation has been paid connected the payments."

A Labour spokesperson said it was up to Mr Lavery himself to respond to immoderate questions astir his taxation affairs.

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