Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner resigned on Friday after an investigation found she breached the ministerial code by underpaying property tax, delivering a major setback to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government.
Rayner, who also served as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, admitted earlier this week that she had underpaid a property surcharge and referred herself to the government’s independent ethics adviser. In her resignation letter, she said, “I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice” and took “full responsibility for this error.”
The government’s ethics chief, Laurie Magnus, said Rayner had failed to follow the caution of legal advice she had received, concluding that she had breached the ministerial code. Starmer described her resignation as “very sad” but added she would “remain a major figure in our party.”
Rayner, 45, purchased an £800,000 flat in Hove using proceeds from a family home sale set up for her son, who has special needs. She initially claimed the flat as her main residence, paying a lower surcharge, but later conceded this was incorrect, as her son is under 18 and she retained interest in the property. Magnus acknowledged the complexity of the rules but said Rayner’s failure to seek further guidance meant she did not meet the highest standards of conduct.
A prominent figure in Labour’s left wing and a potential future party leader, Rayner grew up in Stockport in northwest England, leaving school at 16 after becoming pregnant, and has been popular among working-class voters for her direct style. Her resignation adds to challenges facing Starmer’s government, which has struggled with policy reversals and criticism over immigration and welfare issues.
