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UK Deputy PM Rayner resigns over tax infraction
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UK’s deputy prime minister Angela Rayner resigned on Friday after an investigation found she breached the ministerial code by underpaying on a property tax, in a major blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s embattled Labour government.
Rayner, a figurehead among the party’s left-wing base, had earlier this week admitted not paying enough of a surcharge on the flat purchase and referred herself to the government’s independent ethics adviser.
In a letter to Starmer, ethics chief Laurie Magnus wrote that Rayner had failed to “heed the caution” of legal advice she had received so he considered the “code to have been breached”.
“I accept that I did not meet the highest standards,” Rayner wrote in her resignation letter to Starmer, adding she would also be stepping down as housing minister and deputy leader of the Labour Party.
“I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice,” Rayner said, adding she took “full responsiblity for this error”.
In his reply, Starmer told her he was “very sad” to lose her from government, but added: “You will remain a major figure in our party”.
The resignation adds to the woes of his government, which has lurched from one storm to another since sweeping to power in July 2024 after 14 years in opposition.
It has been forced to U-turn on welfare reforms and fuel benefits for the elderly, while its failure to stop undocumented migrants arriving on small boats is fuelling support for hard-right firebrand Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
It now lags well behind Reform in national polls, although the next general election is unlikely to occur before 2029.
Rayner disclosed on Wednesday that she had underpaid so-called stamp duty on a seaside flat in southern England following days of reports suggesting that she had saved £40,000 ($53,000) by removing her name from the deeds of another property.
‘Complexity’
The 45-year-old has three sons, one of whom was born prematurely and is registered blind with lifelong special needs.
She said that after her 2023 divorce she sold her part of the family home to a trust fund set up for her son in order to secure the specially-adapted house for her child’s future. She then used the money to help buy the £800,000-flat in Hove.
Rayner paid less of the property surcharge because she claimed the flat was her main home rather than a second home. But she later conceded this was wrong since her son is under 18 and therefore she was deemed to still have an interest in the house.
Magnus said the rules “entailed a considerable degree of complexity” and recognised that Rayner had twice been advised that the lower rate of stamp duty was applicable.
That advice, however, was qualified by the admission that it did not constitute expert tax advice. Rayner’s failure to seek further guidance meant she “cannot be considered to have met the highest possible standards of proper conduct”, said Magnus.
Rayner had often been tipped to become Labour leader one day and has been a top target for political attacks by the Conservatives and right-wing media.
She left school with no qualifications after becoming pregnant aged 16, and has a straight-talking style that has proved popular with working-class voters.
She grew up in Stockport on the outskirts of Manchester in northwest England, living in one of the area’s most deprived social housing complexes.
AFP
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Kogi varsity expels two students over gay practice, rusticates four for fighting
The Management of Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, has expelled two students for alleged involvement in gay practice and rusticated four others for one academic session over a campus fight.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the university’s Information and Protocol Unit, the sanctions were ratified during the 31st Regular Meeting of the University Senate following recommendations from the Students’ Disciplinary Committee.
The statement read, “The Management of Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, has approved the expulsion of two students for involvement in gay practice and the rustication of four others for one academic session over acts of fighting on campus.”
The affected students were notified in letters signed by the Deputy Registrar, Academics, Eli Gbadafu, copies of which were made available to the Information, Public Relations and Protocol Unit of the university.
The statement further read, “The institution stated that the disciplinary actions were taken in accordance with the provisions of the Students’ Handbook, Second Edition, as amended in 2025.”
Onumoko Hamza of the Biology Education department and Abdulazeez Eneji of the Mining Engineering department were expelled over gay practice.
Four other students were rusticated for one academic session over fighting. They are Favor Akowe of the Microbiology department, Simbiat Babamuharuna of the Biology department, Zainab Omayoza of the Biochemistry department, and Sukura Bukola, also of the Biochemistry department.
The statement read, “The University Management reiterated its commitment to maintaining discipline, order and a conducive environment for teaching and learning.”
It added, “Management warned that it would not hesitate to take decisive disciplinary action against any student found guilty of violating the rules and regulations of the University.”
The statement read further, “Students are therefore advised to familiarise themselves with the provisions of the Students’ Handbook and conduct themselves in accordance with the established rules and regulations of the University.”
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CAN faults FRSC amendment bill, seeks Tinubu’s intervention
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the South-West region has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to withhold assent to the proposed Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The Senate had passed an amendment to the FRSC Act, proposing tougher penalties for a range of traffic offences as part of efforts to improve road safety and strengthen compliance with traffic regulations.
One of the major provisions of the amendment bill introduces a N100,000 fine for motorists who fail to obey traffic lights, road signs, road markings, or other traffic control devices.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Bishop Dr. Barnabas Tunde Akinsanya, CAN said it supports the Federal government’s efforts to improve road safety and reduce accidents.
It explained that it is concerned about the provisions prescribing sanctions for preaching in commercial buses and prohibiting hawking in such vehicles.
The association further argued that the measures could also infringe on the constitutional rights to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and expression.
According to the association, although the government has a responsibility to protect lives and ensure public safety, it must also uphold the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.
“We therefore respectfully appeal to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to withhold assent to the Bill in its present form and encourage further consultation with relevant stakeholders, including religious bodies, civil society organisations, legal experts, transport unions, and road safety professionals.
“Such dialogue will help produce legislation that effectively promotes road safety while preserving the constitutional rights and dignity of every Nigerian,” the statement said.
The association also warned that an outright ban on hawking in commercial buses could worsen the economic hardship facing many Nigerians who rely on informal trading for their daily livelihood.
Rather than introducing measures that could further reduce people’s means of survival, CAN urged the government to focus on creating employment opportunities, reducing poverty, improving public transportation, strengthening security and enhancing citizens’ welfare.
The Christian body appealed to President Tinubu to decline assent to the bill in its current form and instead facilitate broader consultations involving religious organisations, civil society groups, legal experts, transport unions and road safety professionals.
It maintained that such engagement would help produce legislation that enhances road safety without undermining the constitutional rights and dignity of Nigerians.
CAN stressed that Nigeria needs laws that promote national unity, safeguard lives without unnecessarily restricting fundamental freedoms, and strengthen public confidence in democratic governance.
The association, however, reaffirmed its commitment to constructive engagement with government to advance justice, peace, constitutional democracy and national development.
News
Court Of Appeal Upholds Refusal To Restrain NCC, Dismisses COSON’s Appeal
The Court of Appeal, Lagos Judicial Division, has dismissed an interlocutory appeal filed by the Copyright Society of Nigeria Ltd/Gte (COSON) against the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), affirming an earlier decision of the Federal High Court refusing to grant an injunction restraining the Commission.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on July 9, 2026, the appellate court also awarded ₦200,000 in costs against COSON.
According to a statement on Saturday, the three-member panel, led by Justice Polycarp Terna Kwahar, with Justice Folasade Ayodeji Ojo and Justice Muslim Sule Hassan concurring, held that there was no existing operating approval that could be preserved through an interlocutory injunction.
The appeal stemmed from COSON’s substantive suit challenging aspects of the Copyright (Collective Management Organisations) Regulations, 2007.
Pending the determination of the case, COSON had sought an interlocutory injunction restraining the NCC from revoking its operating approval or interfering with its management, finances, bank accounts, audits and royalty collection activities.
However, the Federal High Court, in a ruling delivered on December 1, 2021, declined the application, holding that an interlocutory injunction cannot be granted to restrain an action that had already been completed.
The court noted that COSON’s operating approval had been suspended by the NCC in April 2018 and subsequently expired in May 2019, before the substantive suit and the application for injunction were filed.
In affirming the lower court’s decision, the Court of Appeal ruled that the legal status existing before the commencement of the suit was that COSON’s operating approval had already become inoperative.
Justice Kwahar, in the lead judgment, stated: “Both the Appellant and the Respondent have demonstrated vide their affidavit evidence that the Appellant’s operation had prior to the commencement of the suit become inoperative by virtue of the suspension of the Appellant’s licence and expiration by effluxion of time. That is the status quo ante bellum before the commencement of the suit at the lower Court.”
The appellate court emphasized that the purpose of an interlocutory injunction is to preserve the status quo pending the determination of a substantive case, not to reverse actions that had already taken effect before litigation commenced.
It therefore held that granting the relief sought by COSON would have altered, rather than preserved, the existing legal position, and consequently dismissed the appeal for lacking merit.
Reacting to the judgment, the Nigerian Copyright Commission described the ruling as a reaffirmation of its position that there was no subsisting operating approval for the court to preserve through an injunction.
The Commission further reiterated that COSON is currently not approved to operate as a Collective Management Organisation (CMO) in Nigeria.
The judgment is regarded as a significant legal victory for the NCC, reinforcing the Commission’s regulatory authority over collective management organisations and clarifying the legal limits of interlocutory injunctions in disputes involving expired or suspended regulatory approvals.
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