Door handle replacement is very common and well documented. I have done it a few times and it is not too hard:

MGF & MG TF Owners Forum - Door Handle - How to remove/replace. - (the-t-bar.com)

Be sure to inspect the condition of the 'pins' on the back of the door handle that the bolts mount to. Due to lateral stresses (and weak design) these plastic pins crack and break over time. If yours are cracked - either repair with some kind of epoxy (there are posts on this as well) or replace the entire door handle with a new part from xpart (since you are repainting anyways...). It would be very frustrating to repaint the door handle and then have it break a short while after.  

Of course, if you are not comfortable with this, just give the car to a bodyshop. They probably have techniques of repainting the parts in situ. 

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