Angela Rayner has resigned as UK Deputy Prime Minister, Housing Secretary and Deputy Labour leader following mounting pressure over her tax affairs.
The MP for Ashton-under-Lyne admitted she had underpaid stamp duty on the purchase of her £800,000 flat in Hove, East Sussex.
On Wednesday, she referred herself to an ethics investigation, acknowledging: “I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice.” She added that she takes “full responsibility for this error.”
Rayner had initially believed she was not liable for the surcharge because she sold her share in her family home to a trust benefiting her disabled son. However, fresh legal advice later confirmed she owed the additional duty.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had backed his deputy, saying he was “proud” to serve alongside her, but accepted her resignation.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch declared: “
Angela Rayner is finally gone. But it’s only because of Keir Starmer’s weakness that she wasn’t sacked three days ago. Britain deserves better.
Shadow Housing Minister Sir James Cleverly added: “She has been deeply hypocritical, demanding more tax from others while seeking to pay less herself.”
Despite an ethics watchdog praising Rayner for having “acted with integrity and with a dedicated and exemplary commitment to public service,” it concluded she had breached the ministerial code over her tax affairs.
