Is Angela Rayner on borrowed time?

 Private Eye no. 1596 asks:

Why might shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves be distancing Labour from what could be thought the vote-winning - never mind revenue-raising - idea of narrowing the gap between capital gains tax (20 percent) and income tax (40 or 45 percent for higher earners)?

"I don't have any plans to increase capital gains tax," she told BBC Radio 4 Today after PM Rishi Sunak's tax returns revealed that he pays tax at half the rate others do because most of his money comes as gains, not income. Oddly enough, Reeves' reluctance coincides with a dramatic rise in budget-bolstering donations to the Labour party from exactly the type of people who would be less than pleased if capital gains tax were to increase.

Lord (David) Sainsbury, who at the end of 2021 reportedly pumped a further £25m into an investment portfolio  already estimated at £1.1bn, and his daughter have given more than £3m in the past two years, £2m of which came in the most recently reported quarter. Meanwhile, ex-Tory donor and multi-millionaire Gareth Quarry, who calls himself a serial entrepreneur and angel investor, donated £30,000 to Labour last July. Scottish business tycoon Lord (William) Haughey has donated more than £200,000 to central and Scottish party branches since 2021.

Reeves' position is at odds with that of Labour's deputy Angela Rayner. The latter lashed out a tax system "in which the prime minister pays a far lower rate than working people", precisely because so much of his money comes from capital gains. But with Labour party finances at stake, even post-prime-ministerial Sunak wouldn't have much to fear from a Labour administration.

My guess is that Rayner, who was after all voted into her position as deputy leader, will keep her position, just as John Prescott was Tony Blair's deputy and token spokesman for the trade unions. But she will probably be advised to remain silent as the general election approaches. As a member of the Labour Friends of Palestine, repeatedly citing Israeli violations of human rights against Palestinians on social media (information from wikipedia) she has to tread a fine line for fear of being accused of anti-Semitism.