Angela Rayner Faces Scrutiny as Stamp Duty Row Deepens

Published: 05 September. the English Chronicle Desk. English Chronicle Online

The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, finds her political future under intense scrutiny following revelations over the purchase of her £800,000 flat on the south coast, amid questions surrounding underpaid stamp duty. The conveyancing firm that handled the transaction, Verrico & Associates Ltd, has stated it did not provide Rayner with tax advice and prepared her stamp duty return solely based on information she supplied.

Joanna Verrico, who leads the small family-run firm in Kent, confirmed that the company does not handle trusts or offer tax guidance. She emphasized that the stamp duty calculation was carried out using the HMRC online calculator and reflected only the facts presented by Rayner, insisting the firm acted in good faith. The disclosure has intensified scrutiny of Rayner, whose alleged underpayment of around £40,000 will form a key part of the report by the prime minister’s standards adviser, Laurie Magnus, due for submission on Friday.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer declined to comment on whether Rayner would face dismissal if found to have breached the ministerial code, stating he would await the comprehensive findings of Magnus’s report. The investigation focuses on Rayner’s understanding of her legal obligations, particularly regarding her interest in a family property held in a trust for her disabled son. While Rayner believed she was eligible for the lower rate of stamp duty, the terms of the trust meant she retained a taxable interest.

Rayner sought additional legal advice from barrister Jonathan Peacock after press coverage of the purchase, who confirmed that she had underpaid her tax. She has since initiated discussions with HMRC to rectify the situation. Downing Street affirmed that upon receiving the final legal opinion, Rayner promptly referred herself to the independent adviser and began corrective action with HMRC.

Support from senior colleagues has been forthcoming. Chancellor Rachel Reeves expressed full confidence in Rayner, acknowledging the error while highlighting her prompt steps to resolve the issue. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson also noted that Rayner acted in line with the advice she initially received and was working to settle the additional tax following updated legal counsel.

Meanwhile, tensions surrounding the controversy escalated when Rayner’s Hove flat was vandalized with graffiti labeling her a “tax evader,” an incident condemned by her spokesperson as “unjustifiable and beyond the pale.” The forthcoming report from Laurie Magnus is expected to play a decisive role in determining Rayner’s political standing.