Angela Rayner Stands Down As Deputy Prime Minister And Housing Secretary
Angela Rayner has resigned from government (Alamy)
3 min read
Angela Rayner has resigned as deputy prime minister and housing secretary over failing to pay enough stamp duty on a flat and breaking the ministerial code.
She has also resigned as deputy leader of the Labour Party.
Rayner referred herself to the independent ethics adviser Laurie Magnus after admitting to not paying enough stamp duty on her £800,000 seaside flat in Hove, Sussex. The adviser's report has found that Rayner broke the ministerial code.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, published on Friday, Magnus wrote that he believed Rayner had "acted with integrity and with a dedicated and exemplary commitment to public service", but that her failure to settle her stamp duty land tax liability at the correct level meant she cannot be considered to have met the “highest possible standards of proper conduct” as set out in the ministerial code.
Rayner has claimed that the legal advice she initially received about the property was inaccurate due to confusion over a trust set up for her disabled son.
However, Magnus detailed in his report that the legal advice Rayner received had acknowledged that it did not constitute expert tax advice and recommended that specific tax advice be obtained.
In her resignation letter to Starmer, Rayner said: "I have long believed that people who serve the British public in government must always observe the highest standards, and while the Independent Adviser has concluded that I acted in good faith and with honesty and integrity throughout, I accept that I did not meet the highest standards in relation to my recent property purchase.
"I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice given both my position as Housing Secretary and my complex family arrangements. I take full responsibility for this error. I would like to take this opportunity to repeat that it was never my intention to do anything other than pay the right amount."
In his responding, handwritten letter, Starmer said that he was "very sad" that Rayner's time as deputy prime minister and housing secretary had "ended in this way".
He added that while she would no longer be in government, she would "remain a major figure in our party".
The loss of such a key figure from his Cabinet represents a major blow for Starmer, taking place in a week when he has sought to reset his government after a difficult first year in office, or what he described as the Labour administration's "phase two".
There will also be an internal Labour election to choose the party's new deputy leader, which risks public arguments over the direction of the party.
The Prime Minister is expected to carry out a significant ministerial reshuffle following Rayner's departure, potentially as soon as Friday afternoon.
The PM launched an impassioned defence of Rayner at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, saying he was proud to sit next to someone who had risen to become deputy prime minister from a working-class background.
"[Rayner] has explained her personal circumstances in detail. She has gone over and above in setting out the details, including Mr Speaker, yesterday afternoon, asking the court to lift a confidentiality order in relation to her own son.
"I know from speaking at length to the Deputy Prime Minister, just how difficult that decision was for her and her family. But she did it. She did it to ensure that all information is in the public domain," he told MPs.
