HMRC arrange for liquidators at Rangers if administrators fail to save club

Rangers: The liquidation move by HMRC was confirmed on Thursday.© SNS Group

HM Revenue and Customs have arranged for liquidators to be appointed at Rangers should administrators fail to rescue the club.

The tax authorities agreed the plan with current administrators Duff and Phelps, it was revealed on Thursday.

Insolvency firm BDO have been lined up by HMRC should the current attempts to get the Ibrox club out of administration fail and they are put into liquidation.

The move was made by HMRC in April after Duff and Phelps produced their proposals to remain in post, which those owed money had to vote on.

On Thursday the administrators released the proposals approved by creditors, which originally asked them to rubber-stamp the appointment of Duff and Phelps as liquidators of Rangers should a proposed company voluntary arrangement (CVA) fail.

The result of the creditors vote in April has also given the administrators power to "conclude a sale of the whole, or part of the business, property or assets of the company" without needings creditors permission, should the proposed CVA be successful.

Now, should the CVA proposal funded by an £8.5m loan from the Sevco consortium led by Charles Green fail to receive the backing of creditors, the neutral insolvency firm would be called in.

This would be in the case of the compulsory court-ordered winding up of the crisis-hit club, or if a creditors voluntary liquidation (CVL) took place as part of a 'newco' switch.

According to documents released last week, in the event of the CVA failing, the consortium is "contractually obliged" to pay £5.5m for the "business and assets" of Rangers, which would be transferred to a completely different business entity, before the existing one is liquidated.

The details of the newco deal are "confidential" and it is unclear whether the money to fund it would also take the form of a loan with interest.

BDO and HMRC refused to comment on the agreement reached over the situation at the Glasgow club, which was plunged into administration on February 14 having failed to pay £14m in PAYE and VAT since Craig Whyte bought an 85% stake in the club in May 2011.

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