By Uboh-Ekong Treasure
Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, resigned on Friday after an official investigation found She broke the ministerial code by underpaying stamp duty on a property purchase, in the most serious political blow yet to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government.
Rayner, a key figure in Labour’s top team, had earlier admitted paying the wrong rate of tax when she bought a flat in Hove. The inquiry confirmed she should have paid the higher stamp duty rate for second homes, leaving an estimated £40,000 shortfall.
The investigation by the government’s independent ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, concluded that Rayner failed to act on legal warnings and did not seek appropriate tax advice. The report said that while there was no evidence of deliberate evasion, her actions “fell below the standards required of a minister.”
“Given the findings, and the impact on my family, I have therefore decided to resign,” Rayner wrote in a letter to Starmer, also stepping down as Housing Secretary and deputy leader of the Labour Party.
Starmer said the resignation was “necessary to maintain public trust” and announced that a cabinet reshuffle will take place in the coming days.
