Angela Rayner has been cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness over her tax affairs, removing a potential political distraction as questions continue over Labour’s leadership following the party’s poor local election performance.
The former deputy prime minister and housing secretary agreed to repay around £40,000 in underpaid stamp duty linked to the purchase of an £800,000 flat in Hove, after initially paying the lower rate. However, HMRC is understood not to have imposed any financial penalty and reportedly concluded there was no evidence of tax avoidance.
Rayner stepped down as deputy prime minister and housing secretary in September last year after acknowledging the stamp duty underpayment.
Her position within Labour has remained under scrutiny amid growing pressure on prime minister Sir Keir Starmer following disappointing election results for the party at local level.
In an interview with The Guardian, Rayner did not rule out standing in a future Labour leadership contest, although she said she would not seek to “trigger” one herself.
In a statement Rayner said: “I have always sought to act with integrity, and I believe politicians should be held to high standards – that is why I resigned from government and cooperated fully with HMRC.”
Rayner is currently scheduled to appear as a guest speaker at the Propertymark One conference this summer.
As housing secretary, Rayner oversaw significant changes to legislation affecting the private rented sector, including the Renters’ Rights Act and the Planning and Infrastructure Act, alongside a target to deliver 1.5 million new homes in England during the current parliamentary term.
Her address comes amid ongoing reforms across the housing sector, with regulatory and legislative change remaining a central focus for property professionals.
Propertymark’s decision to invite Rayner as a speaker for this year’s Propertymark One event, to be held on 12 June at ExCeL London, is “without doubt a controversial choice”.
That is according to Nathan Emerson, the CEO of Propertymark, with reports indicating that Rayner will earn a five-figure sum as the speaker
Emerson was responding after Rayner’s invitation prompted criticism from some agents, including comments posted on Property Industry Eye.
Emerson set out the organisation’s rationale behind the decision. Following further negative reaction, he released a video message calling for industry backing and stating that member feedback – contrary to the comments on EYE – indicates agents want to hear from senior political figures involved in housing policy.
This maybe a case of move along now nothing to see here.
In a ITV interview Rayner acknowledged she had not paid enough tax when buying her East Sussex flat and said the “mistake” came about because she believed it was the only property she owned.
However, due to complex arrangements surrounding a trust for her disabled son, the Hove flat should have been considered to be Rayner’s second home – meaning she should have paid an additional £40,000 in stamp duty.
After, Rayner said she had contacted HMRC to work out the additional tax she needed to pay and referred herself for investigation by the prime minister’s standards adviser.
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Interesting timing.
With conveyancers having to register as Tax Advisers, from this coming Monday it would be interesting to know how the mistake was made.
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Obviously she was caught as had to pay the £40k just no penalties as ‘normal’ people do,.
Maybe she’s got advances on forthcoming speaking engagements-I just love to watch her engagement with Andrew Neil on YouTube every now and then to remind me what a gobsxxx she is.
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