D-Day for Rayner? PM's adviser prepares pivotal verdict - as her lawyers deny giving tax advice

Sir Keir Starmer could be forced into a decision over Angela Rayner's future as early as today, as the prime minister's ethics adviser prepares his verdict on the Labour deputy's tax affairs.

Ms Rayner, who is also the housing secretary, has been under mounting pressure since she admitted not paying the correct amount of stamp duty on an £800,000 flat in Hove, East Sussex. She has argued the mistake was made as a result of incorrect advice from a conveyancer and two trust law experts, who told her she did not need to pay the higher rate reserved for second home purchases.

Her case was thrust into doubt late on Thursday when the conveyancing firm - Verrico & Associates - said it did not provide advice and had been made "scapegoats" in the political row. Its managing director, Joanna Verrico, told The Daily Telegraph that while it had acted for Ms Rayner when she bought the property, no tax or trust advice was provided.

Any advice she may have received will form a key plank of an investigation by Sir Keir's independent ethics guru, Sir Laurie Magnus, who Ms Rayner referred herself to earlier this week. Downing Street has said the prime minister expects a "quick" verdict, and he has refused to rule out sacking his second-in-command.

"I will act on whatever the report is that's put in front of me," Sir Keir told the BBC on Thursday - and that report may well arrive on his desk today. Sir Laurie has concluded investigations into ex-ministers Nadhim Zahawi and Tulip Siddiq within days - and Sky's chief political correspondent Jon Craig reports he's due to go on holiday on Saturday.

He is assessing whether Ms Rayner broke ministerial rules, which place an "overarching duty on ministers to comply with the law.