Angela Rayner was accused of "hypocrisy" after using her opening speech at the Labour conference to attack Tory sleaze despite a Labour freebies row.

The Deputy Prime Minister hit out at the Conservatives over partygate and Covid contracts in her address to the gathering in Liverpool today.

But it comes as Sir Keir Starmer, Ms Rayner and other senior Cabinet ministers are mired in a row over gifts and donations.

Ms Rayner said: "We won because we had the courage to change our party. The discipline to make hard decisions and the determination to remain united.

"And now, change begins. Even now - especially now - there will be no complacency. We've seen where that leads.

"Don't forget what they did: partygate, Covid contracts, the lies, division, scapegoating, and the unfunded tax cuts for the richest that crashed our economy. Don't forget any of it.

"The Tories failed Britain and they tried to cover it up. A crater in the heart of Britain's economy. A puncture in the pocket of every working family. And a £22 billion black hole.

"And not so much as an apology, let alone an acceptance, from the Tories."

But a Tory source said: "Even die-hard Labour members at party conference aren't fooled by the hypocrisy of the Labour freebies scandal."

Ms Rayner's comments come as the furore over donations threatens to overshadow Labour's conference that had been expected to be a victory lap for the party after its election victory in July.

There has been a backlash about the Prime Minister and his wife Lady Victoria Starmer's acceptance of gifts, including clothing, from prominent Labour donor and peer Lord Alli.

Ms Rayner has herself been criticised for staying in a flat owned by Lord Alli while on holiday in New York, but denied breaking any Commons rules about declaring the gift.

Elsewhere during her speech, the Housing and Local Government Secretary pledged to bolster workers' rights, create high-quality homes and strengthen communities.

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: "Angela Rayner has shown that it's the same old Labour who spout what the British people want to hear, whilst doing the exact opposite.

"While promising to tackle the housing crisis and introduce a 'devolution revolution', Rayner has refused to be transparent about housing targets and ended devolution in the East of England, with new plans underway to take power away from locally elected representatives and back to Whitehall.

"Instead of criticising the Conservatives, they should look at our record. In Government, we devolved power to local mayors across England, began levelling up in the North, and delivered 2.5 million homes."