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Angela Rayner resigns as Deputy Prime Minister following scandal over second home

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Labour’s number two resigns: ‘Unintentional error, but I take responsibility’

Angela Rayner has resigned as British Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Housing and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, following the scandal over her failure to pay the correct tax on her second home. The politician had applied a lower tax rate, classifying her flat in Hove, near Brighton, as her main residence, even though she often lived with her children in the family home in Ashton, in the Manchester area.

The investigation and the political case

Rayner had reported herself to the government’s ethics adviser, admitting that she had to pay an additional amount estimated at around £40,000 (approximately €46,000). The investigation, handed over to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, came just hours before the resignation announcement. According to The Guardian, the affair is a blow to the prime minister, who loses “one of the most authentic and powerful working-class voices” in his executive, just as Labour is falling behind in the polls to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.

The asset issue

Shortly before purchasing the £800,000 (over €920,000) house in Hove, Rayner had transferred her share of the Ashton house to a family trust created in 2020 to financially support a son with permanent disabilities. This decision, which emerged during the revelations, fuelled accusations of hypocrisy against her, especially in view of the likely increase in property taxes provided for in the autumn budget bill. In recent days, the Hove residence has also been vandalised with graffiti and insults such as “tax evader”.

The farewell letter

In her letter to Starmer, Rayner expressed her “deep regret for not seeking the advice of an accountant”, reiterating that the mistake was “unintentional”. She added that she takes “full responsibility” and believes that “those who serve the British people in government must always uphold the highest standards”.

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