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UK Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has admitted she did not pay enough stamp duty on her second home and has considered resigning. Rayner said she has been ‘in shock’ and ‘devastated’ over the fallout from her property arrangements and that she has referred herself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards. 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 seaside 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. In a statement on Wednesday, she said she had taken legal advice when she bought the south coast flat which suggested she was ‘liable to pay standard stamp duty’ but had then sought ‘further advice from a leading tax counsel’ following media reporting about the arrangement. She learned that the initial advice had been inaccurate and that she was liable to pay additional stamp duty. That is because she had put her stake in her constituency home in Ashton into a trust set up in 2020 for her disabled son. Tax experts said the Hove property could not be treated as her only residence because of the nature of the trust. In the statement, Rayner said: ‘I have now been advised that although I did not own any other property at the time of the 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 arrangements I have set out reflect the reality that family life is rarely straightforward, particularly when dealing with disability, divorce, and the complexities of ensuring your children’s long term security. Every decision I have made has been guided by what I believe to be in my children’s best interests. 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. ‘It is for that reason I have today referred myself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards, and will provide him with my fullest cooperation and access to all the information he requires.’ Asked whether she had considered resigning, Rayner 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.’ 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’. By Sophie Wingate and Nina Lloyd, PA Political Staff source: PA Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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