Labour hypocrisy alert: Deputy PM splashes £800k on THIRD home

Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has reportedly purchased a £800,000 three-bedroom seaside apartment in Hove, adding to a property portfolio which already consisted of a £650,000 constituency home in Ashton-under-Lyne (designated her primary residence) and a grace-and-favour flat in Admiralty House, London.

Neighbours have described the property as a "holiday home," and critics, including Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly and Reform UK's Richard Tice, have accused Rayner of hypocrisy for expanding her properties whilst hiking taxes on others.

As Housing Secretary since July 2024, Rayner has overseen the implementation of policies targeting second homes, including allowing councils to charge up to 100% extra council tax on them (a measure inherited from the Tories but advanced under Labour). These measures were aimed at addressing complaints that second homes price locals out of markets in areas like Cornwall, the Lake District, and coastal towns, freeing up stock for residents.

Whilst the deputy PM has not herself directly criticised second-home ownership, the Labour Party's position on second home ownership, based on their recent policies and public statements, has very much focussed on prioritising first-time buyers and addressing housing affordability, which often involves measures that discourage or limit the advantages of owning second homes.

Several Labour MPs have publicly criticized second home ownership, particularly in the context of its impact on housing affordability and local communities, including Luke Pollard (Plymouth Sutton and Devonport), John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington), and Lisa Nandy, who in her role as Shadow Levelling Up Secretary has been associated with Labour’s broader push against second home ownership, particularly through proposals to exclude second homeowners from council tax reliefs and potentially align capital gains tax with income tax rates, which would increase costs for second home sales.

LABOUR HYPOCRISY IN ACTION AGAIN

Rayner herself has frequently discussed housing issues throughout her political career, often framing second home ownership within broader critiques of housing affordability, inequality, and Tory policies. Her comments typically emphasize the need to prioritize first-time buyers and social housing, while criticizing advantages given to wealthy second home owners or landlords.

Rayner's comments on second homes have often been tied to criticisms of Conservative government policies and scandals, portraying second home ownership as exacerbating inequality when it benefits the wealthy at the expense of ordinary people.

In a 2021 X post, Rayner directly criticized a proposed tax policy, stating: "A council tax hike for hard-pressed families struggling to make ends meet. A massive tax cut for wealthy second home owners and landlords."

In November 2020, she highlighted a scandal involving a former Tory councillor who received £276 million in PPE contracts and subsequently bought a "country estate + holiday home." Rayner remarked: "I'm sure my constituents, who have been in local lockdown for 4 months and were told to survive on 2/3rds of the minimum wage, will be so pleased to hear that a former Tory councillor given £276m in PPE contracts has bought a country estate + holiday home."

She quite blatantly uses "holiday home" pejoratively to underscore perceived corruption and inequality, implying that such purchases are out of touch with the struggles of her constituents. Painting herself as a representative for the common people, a badge she has worn proudly throughout her time in politics, the insinuation is clear: that the Tories are out of touch and can’t be trusted to understand the every day struggles of the proletariat.

I am sure that her constituents, many of whom will have been struggling with the cost of living crisis over the past 4 years, will be pleased to hear that their salt of the earth, “woman of the people” MP has been able to afford a THIRD home for herself on her MPs salary.

In October 2020, Rayner commented on Dominic Cummings' council tax obligations for a second home in Durham, noting: "Meanwhile, Ministers are saying that there is apparently no money to support my constituents and people and businesses across Greater Manchester. One rule for them, and another for the rest of us."

This ties into her broader narrative of "one rule for the elite," where second homes symbolize privilege amid public austerity.

These remarks align with Labour's stance, focusing on how second homes contribute to housing shortages in areas with high demand, such as tourist spots, by pricing out locals.

Sadly, we have become all too accustomed to rank hypocrisy from this Labour government. It will indeed be interesting to see how public perception of the relatability of this self-style “voice of the common man/woman” MP becomes impacted by yet another example of Rayner’s “do as I say, not as I do” attitude.