UK’s Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner admitted on Wednesday, September 3, that she failed to pay the correct amount of property tax on a flat purchase, after days of mounting scrutiny over her financial affairs.
Rayner, 45, said she has referred herself to the government’s ethics adviser and notified tax authorities, attributing the error to “inaccurate” legal advice. Speaking on a Sky News podcast, the housing minister said the revelation left her questioning whether she should resign.
“I’ve been in shock, really, because I thought I’d done everything properly,” Rayner said. “I relied on the advice that I received, and I’m devastated because I’ve always upheld the rules and always have felt proud to do that.”
The controversy centres on her purchase of an apartment in Hove, southern England. Reports suggested she avoided paying £40,000 in stamp duty by removing her name from the deeds of another property in her constituency, leaving the flat as her sole ownership. Rayner said her lawyers had failed to properly consider her full personal circumstances, including a trust fund set up for her disabled son. As a result, she said, the “appropriate stamp duty” was not paid at the time.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered his backing in parliament, describing Rayner as transparent in her response. “She has explained her personal circumstances in detail. She’s gone over and above in setting out the details,” he told MPs, adding he was “proud to sit alongside” her.
Rayner, who left school with no qualifications after becoming pregnant at 16, is a prominent figure on Labour’s left and is frequently tipped as a potential future party leader.
