Angela Rayner, the UK’s deputy prime minister, has stepped down after an investigation revealed she underpaid stamp duty on a property purchase.
Gatekeepers News reports that Rayner, who also held the roles of housing secretary and deputy leader of the Labour Party, announced her resignation in a letter released on Friday.
The Labour MP for Ashton-under-Lyne was found to have underpaid £40,000 in stamp duty on an £800,000 flat in Hove, East Sussex.
The underpayment arose after she declared the property as her primary residence instead of a second home, which significantly reduced the tax owed.
Her resignation statement reads, “ 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 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.”
She also admitted that she deeply regrets not seeking professional tax advice, particularly considering her ministerial role and a complex personal situation.
Rayner added, “I would like to take this opportunity to repeat that it was never my intention to do anything other than pay the right amount.”
She noted that her decision to step down was informed both by the findings of the ethics report and the toll the controversy has taken on her family.
