Angela Rayner: Tax Dodger

Angela Rayner, the UK Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, is facing accusations of severe hypocrisy, due to her handling of tax obligations related to the purchase of an £800,000 seaside flat in Hove, East Sussex, which contrasts starkly with her previous criticisms of others for tax avoidance.

Rayner admitted on September 3, 2025, that she underpaid stamp duty by approximately £40,000 on her Hove flat that she purchased in May 2025. She initially paid £30,000 in stamp duty, claiming the flat as her primary residence after removing her name from the deeds of her family home in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester. However, following intense scrutiny from the media and the Conservative and Reform opposition in parliament, she has been forced to come clean and admit that the Hove flat should have been treated as an additional dwelling, incurring a higher stamp duty rate of £70,000.

Rayner has a history of criticising Conservative figures for tax avoidance, notably Nadhim Zahawi in 2023 for his HMRC investigation, and Akshata Murty in 2022 for her non-domiciled tax status. Her vocal stance against “tax dodgers” and demands for transparency (e.g. calling for Zahawi’s sacking and Murty’s tax details) contrast sharply with her own failure to pay the correct stamp duty. Critics, including Tory shadow chancellor Mel Stride, argue that her actions “reek of hypocrisy” because she failed to meet the tax standards she publicly demanded of others.

Criticisms of Rayner extend simply beyond her underpayment of Stamp Duty, also encompassing serious questions about her primary residence declarations for council tax purposes, and her use of trust structures to avoid inheritance tax.

Rayner declared her Hove flat as her primary residence to HMRC to secure the lower stamp duty rate, but for council tax purposes, she designated her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency home as her primary residence. This allowed her to avoid paying council tax on her grace-and-favour flat in Admiralty House, London, where the Cabinet Office covers the tax as it is not deemed her primary home. This dual designation has raised questions about the consistency of her tax arrangements.

The Conservatives, including party chairman Kevin Hollinrake, argue that Rayner’s arrangement constitutes “hypocritical tax avoidance” because she supports higher taxes on second homes and high-value properties as Housing Secretary, yet structured her affairs to minimize her own tax liabilities. Hollinrake suggested that her actions undermine her claim that Ashton-under-Lyne is her primary home, accusing her of exploiting tax rules while advocating for stricter tax policies for others.

In addition, Rayner has been criticised for using wealth protection specialists in setting up trust arrangements to minimise her own inheritance tax liabilities. Rayner split the ownership of her £650,000 Ashton-under-Lyne home with a trust administered by Shoosmiths, a law firm specializing in “wealth protection.” This move, reported on August 31, 2025, is consistent with placing equity in trust for her children, but critics speculate it may also be aimed at reducing potential inheritance tax liabilities. The trust arrangement conveniently coincided with the Hove purchase, raising further questions about her tax planning.

Rayner has frequently criticised tax avoidance mechanisms in the past, such as her 2015 statement that “the public are furious with those who get away with tax avoidance while they pay.” It is therefore vital that she come clean about the trust’s implications for inheritance tax, as her use of a wealth protection firm seems to quite clearly contradict her public stance against tax avoidance strategies employed by the wealthy.

The controversy has fuelled political attacks from the Conservatives and Reform UK, forcing the deputy PM to refer herself for ethics investigation by Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister’s independent adviser on ministerial interests. Multiple posts on X from the Conservative Party emphasize Rayner’s hypocrisy, contrasting her actions with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s past criticism of tax evasion. Even some Labour MPs have expressed concern, with one anonymously stating to the Daily Mail that “it really doesn’t look good” for ordinary people struggling financially.

The public and political focus on Rayner’s tax arrangements is amplified by her role in shaping tax and housing policy, making her personal financial decisions a lightning rod for accusations of double standards. Her history of demanding transparency from opponents, such as requesting tax returns from Tory candidate Jill Mortimer in 2021, further fuels perceptions that she holds herself to a different standard.

RAYNER’S VOCAL CRITICISM OF OTHERS’ USE OF TAX AVOIDANCE MEASURES

Ms. Rayner has been vocal in criticizing others for not paying sufficient taxes, which has drawn attention, particularly in light of her own recent admission of underpaying stamp duty on a property purchase.

In 2023, she called for Nadhim Zahawi to be sacked as Conservative Party Chairman after it was revealed that his tax affairs were under investigation by HMRC. She accused him of tax evasion, highlighting what she perceived as a lack of transparency and accountability.

She placed significant emphasis on the concept that public officials should be held to high standards of financial integrity, and specifically demanded Zahawi’s resignation, arguing that his position was untenable due to the ongoing HMRC investigation.

In 2022, Rayner campaigned for Akshata Murty, the wife of then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak, to provide detailed transparency regarding her tax affairs. This was shortly before Sunak became Prime Minister in 2022.

Rayner demanded that Murty disclose specifics about her tax arrangements, particularly focusing on her non-domiciled status, which allowed her to pay less tax in the UK on foreign earnings. Rayner’s push was part of a broader Labour Party effort to scrutinize the financial affairs of prominent Conservative figures, framing it as a matter of public interest and fairness.

These 2 examples typify Rayner’s “holier than thou” stance on tax matters. Over her years as an MP, Rayner has repeatedly criticized “tax dodgers” in the House of Commons, positioning herself as a champion of tax fairness. This includes broad statements condemning individuals and entities who avoid paying what she considers their “fair share” of taxes.

She has effectively made a rod for her own back by demanding such impeccable moral standards of others in respect of tax transparency and accountability, especially in relation to those in public office, that it is now difficult to imagine how her position as Deputy PM can remain tenable under the weight of such hypocrisy.

In Rayner’s own words, when it comes to the moral issue of tax avoidance, quite clearly “it is one rule for them, and another for the rest of us.”