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UK Housing Secretary Angela Rayner revealed that she avoided paying the extra stamp duty normally applied on the purchase of a second home, triggering resignation calls.
Deputy British PM Angela Rayner. (Reuters/File)
Deputy UK Prime Minister Angela Rayner revealed that she did not pay the right amount of stamp duty on the purchase of her second flat and had even considered resigning over the matter. She claimed she received “incorrect” tax advice about consulted her family.
Angela Rayner came under fresh scrutiny after a report by the UK-based Telegraph revealed that she had avoided the extra stamp duty normally applied on the purchase of a second home in Hove as per UK laws. As per the report, Rayner saved £40,000 on stamp duty when she bought a second home in Hove, East Sussex, for £800,000 in May.
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As per the UK stamp rules, Rayner – also the Housing Secretary of the UK government – should have paid £70,000 but only paid £30,000 by claiming that the Hove apartment was her only property in which she had a financial interest.
In an interview with Sky News, Rayner finally revealed that she had made a mistake and said she had considered resigning, amid calls by opposition leaders for her to step down. She has asked the Prime Minister’s independent adviser on ministers’ interests to look into the case.
‘Packing It All In’
Rayner became emotional as she claimed receiving incorrect tax advice and spoke to her family about “packing it all in” over the matter. “I made a mistake based upon the advice that I relied upon, that I received at the time, and a leading expert has now said that advice was wrong,” she told Sky News.
“I’ve been in shock, really, because I thought I’d done everything properly, and 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,” she said, adding that the purchase of the second home was a “complex living arrangement” for her teenage son after her divorce and the sale of her first house.
“That it is devastating for me and the fact that the reason why those confidential clauses were in place was to protect my son, who, through no fault of his own, he’s vulnerable, he’s got this life changing, lifelong conditions and I don’t want him or anything to do with his day-to-day life, to be subjected to that level of scrutiny,” she added.
Rayner said she spoke to her ex-husband and the rest of her family and considered resigning from her post. “I deeply regret the error that has been made. I am committed to resolving this matter fully and providing the transparency that public service demands.”
PM Starmer Backs Rayner
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has backed Rayner following the controversy, saying he was “very proud” to sit alongside her. “She’s gone over and above in setting out the details, including yesterday afternoon asking a court to lift a confidentiality order in relation to her own son,” he said.
Opposition Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for Starmer to fire Rayner. “If he had backbone, he would sack her,” she said. However, Starmer lauded Rayner, saying she was working to build 1.5 million homes for workers.
Rayner had earlier sold her financial interest in her first home in Ashton-under-Lyne after her divorce, although it remained her primary residence. The Telegraph disclosed that she had received £162,500 from the sale of her share in the Ashton house, which funded the deposit on the Hove flat.
Rayner reportedly received the money through a trust set up in 2020 on behalf of her disabled son following a compensation payment, but she remains listed as a proprietor on the deeds to the Ashton home as an executor of the trust, as per the report.
Earlier this year, Tulip Siddiq, the niece of ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was forced to resign over corruption allegations linked to an investigation in Bangladesh. She was accused of influencing the then-Bangladesh government to secure a plot of land in Dhaka.
About the Author
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
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