PM determined to save Angela Rayner as critics call for ‘scalp’ over property tax

PoliticsProperty
4 Sep 2025 • 2:53 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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  • Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, has admitted to underpaying £40,000 in stamp duty on her £800,000 flat in Hove, East Sussex.
  • She has referred herself to the prime minister’s independent ethics adviser for an investigation into the property purchase.
  • The prime minister is reportedly determined to save Ms Rayner, vowing not to hand a “scalp” to his critics, though her fate depends on the ethics probe's outcome.
  • Ms Rayner stated she relied on incorrect legal advice for the underpayment, denying it was a “tax dodge” and expressing devastation over the situation.
  • While Sir Keir Starmer has publicly backed Ms Rayner, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has called for her to be sacked.

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