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Angela Rayner resigns from deputy prime minister and housing secretary roles
Deputy prime minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner has resigned after she admitted to not paying enough stamp duty land tax (SDLT) on a £800,000 property in Hove.
Angela Rayner resigns from deputy prime minister and housing secretary roles #UKhousingDeputy prime minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner has resigned after she admitted to not paying enough stamp duty land tax on a £800,000 home in Hove #UKhousingIn her letter to the prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, Ms Rayner she had taken the decision “due to the ongoing toll of the media on my family”.
She said she always took her ministerial responsibilities “seriously” and that while an independent advisor said she acted in “good faith”, she accepted “that I did not meet the highest standards in relation to my recent property purchase”.
Ms Rayner stepping down from the government comes after a statement on Wednesday in which she said: “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.”
Mr Rayner’s resignation ends days of intense coverage in some newspapers over her property affairs.
Prior to the purchase of the £800,000 property in Hove, Ms Rayner explained that she put her stake in her constituency home in Ashton-Under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, into a trust. The trust was set up in 2020 to manage a payment to her disabled son.
Ms Rayner divorced from her husband in 2023 and said she subsequently sold the remaining interest on the Ashton-Under-Lyne property to her son’s trust in January this year.
She said: “I have now been advised that although I did not own any other property at the time of the [Hove] purchase, the application of complex deeming provisions which relate to my son’s trust gives rise to additional stamp duty liabilities.
“I acknowledge that due to my reliance on advice from lawyers which did not properly take account of these provisions, I did not pay the appropriate stamp duty at the time of the purchase.
“I am working with expert lawyers and with HMRC to resolve the matter and pay what is due.”
The Financial Times reported that Ms Rayner allegedly paid £30,000 of stamp duty on the £800,000 property in Hove, instead of the £70,000 required if it was recognised as a second property.
During the Autumn Budget last year, the government announced a rise in the higher rate of stamp duty to help first-time buyers and target second homes.
The rate on the SDLT surcharge for second homes, known as the higher rate for additional dwellings, was increased by two percentage points to 5%.
The higher SDLT applies to current homeowners who buy an additional residential property worth £40,000 or more. The SDLT rate is currently 3% for properties worth up to £250,000.
Question have now been raised about whether a deputy leadership race is needed and who the next housing secretary will be.
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