The Deputy Prime Minister admits she failed to pay full stamp duty in property row – despite friends previously denying any issues
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is facing calls to quit her position after admitting that she failed to pay the full amount of stamp dutyon her £800,000 seaside flat in Hove. She has referred herself to the prime minister’s ethics adviser and confirmed she will have to pay more property tax – which could be as much as £40,000. It comes after Ms Rayner’s allies spent weeks denying she had done anything wrong.
The Deputy Prime Minister, who also said she had considered resigning, is known to spend time in three properties including a constituency home in Ashton-under-Lyne, a grace-and-favour apartment in Admiralty House on Whitehall, and a new flat in Hove. But when she bought the flat in Hove in May, she classed it as her only property. It meant she paind only £30,000 in stamp duty, rather than the higher rate of £70,000.
However she has elsewhere listed her constituency home as her primary property.
Ms Rayner also said she has considered resigning over the issue. The Deputy Prime Minister said that she has referred herself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards.
Ms Rayner said she had received inaccurate tax advice and had spoken to her family about quitting.
The Housing Secretary has been under intense pressure over her tax affairs after media reports about her purchase of a flat in Hove. She was reported to have saved £40,000 in stamp duty on the flat because she removed her name from the deeds of a family property in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency, meaning the Hove property is the only property she owns.
She told Sky’s Electoral Dysfunction podcast : “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.
“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.”
Asked whether the accusations that she had underpaid stamp duty were correct, she said: “They are accurate. Yes.
“Accurate in a different sense. I think the accusations were that I set up a trust and I flipped it to try and avoid paying it.
“But actually the complex area of the trust which the advice that I relied upon didn’t pick that up. The leading tax counsel who has subsequently looked at it has gone into that and said that actually, because of that, it did remain my sole property and the trust wasn’t set up as accusations have been made for me to try and flip.”
She admitted she had made a “mistake”, adding: “People make mistakes, but I conducted myself in trying to do the right thing, and I hope that people can see that.”
Asked whether she had considered resigning, the Deputy Prime Minister 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 done.
“And always felt proud to do that. I feel, you know, 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 because it’s his and my ex-husband that is… it’s not fair on them.
“Often my family dragged in because of what my role is and what I do.
“But I try to uphold the high standards, and that’s why I’ve referred myself so that the independent advice can look at everything.”
Pressed again on whether she had considered standing down, she said she had “spoken to my family about it” and “the number one priority for me and my ex-husband has always been to support our children and do the best thing for our children”.
