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The tax affairs of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner are now under scrutiny as the Conservatives have called for an investigation into her actions. According to a report by The Daily Telegraph, Rayner managed to save £40,000 in stamp duty when purchasing a flat in Hove, East Sussex, by declaring it as her primary residence. Tory Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake has urged the prime minister’s independent standards adviser to look into whether Rayner violated ministerial rules with this decision. While there is no indication of any legal breaches, the Conservatives argue that this move represents “inappropriate tax avoidance for a minister held to higher standards of conduct.”
It has been revealed that Rayner’s official “primary residence” for council tax purposes remains her family home in her constituency of Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside. However, following her divorce, she no longer held a stake in the property, which allowed her to avoid the higher stamp duty rate that would have been applicable if the Hove flat had been classified as a second home. Instead of the £70,000 normally owed, Rayner paid only £30,000 in stamp duty for the £800,000 flat in Hove. Stamp duty is a tax levied on property purchases above a certain threshold in England and Northern Ireland, with the government increasing the additional rate for second homes to 5% in the previous year’s Budget.
In a letter to Sir Laurie Magnus, the independent adviser on ministerial standards, Hollinrake criticized the arrangement as “hypocritical tax avoidance” by a minister who supports higher taxes on family homes and second homes. He asserted that this setup undermines the notion that Tameside is Rayner’s primary residence, especially since she also holds a grace-and-favour flat in Admiralty House in central London as Deputy Prime Minister. Hollinrake suggested that if Rayner is found to have breached the Ministerial Code due to her tax affairs being in disarray, sanctions such as revoking her ministerial residence may be necessary.
While Health Minister Stephen Kinnock defended Rayner, stating that she has not committed any wrongdoing and has stayed within the bounds of the law, there continues to be a cloud of controversy surrounding her tax arrangements. A representative for Rayner has emphasized that she paid the necessary duty for the Hove property in accordance with the specified requirements and in a completely legitimate manner, refuting any claims to the contrary. It remains to be seen how the investigation into Rayner’s tax affairs will unfold and what implications it may have for her role as Deputy Prime Minister
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