Angela Rayner says she has been cleared of wrongdoing by HMRC over her tax affairs amid speculation that she may be mounting a leadership bid against Sir Keir Starmer. She has reportedly settled £40,000 in unpaid stamp duty on her £800,000 flat in Hove after incorrectly paying a lower rate, but has not been made to pay a penalty by the tax authority. HMRC is understood to have concluded there was no tax avoidance. The former deputy prime minister and housing secretary resigned from her positions in September following intense scrutiny over the issue. In an interview with The Guardian, she said: “I felt that voters were left with the impression that I somehow tried to avoid – or worse had been reckless or careless – in my actions.…