Angela Rayner ‘dodged’ £40,000 Stamp Duty bill on new flat

The Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, has come under fire after allegedly ‘dodging’ £40,000 in stamp duty on an £800,000 seaside flat in Hove, East Sussex, by declaring it her primary residence.

According to The Times, Ms Rayner removed her name from the deeds of her Greater Manchester home weeks before purchasing the Hove property, enabling her to pay £30,000 in stamp duty instead of the £70,000 that would have applied if the flat were a second home.

While the manoeuvre is legal, it has sparked questions about whether Ms Rayner, who is also the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, orchestrated her property affairs to minimise tax liabilities.

She informed Tameside council that her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency home remains her primary residence for council tax purposes, while telling Brighton and Hove council that the Hove flat is a second home.

This arrangement allows her to avoid a council tax surcharge on her grace-and-favour flat in Admiralty House in London, which is funded by taxpayers as a second home.

Electoral registrations are a ‘sham’

The Conservative Party has accused Ms Rayner of breaching electoral law to dodge council tax on the London property.

Kevin Hollinrake, the Tory chairman, labelled her three electoral registrations as a ‘sham’ designed to reduce her tax burden.

He told the Telegraph: “She wants higher taxes on family homes but doesn’t want to pay it herself.”

Mr Hollinrake is now urging Tameside council to remove her from the Ashton-under-Lyne electoral roll.

That would make her liable for the £2,000 annual council tax on her London flat, which is currently doubled due to the second-home premium introduced by Labour.

Paid all taxes

Ms Rayner’s spokesman said: “The Deputy Prime Minister paid the correct duty owed on the purchase, entirely properly and in line with all relevant requirements.

“Any suggestion otherwise is entirely without basis.”

Sources close to Ms Rayner emphasised that she adhered to all regulations and paid all required taxes, noting that her complex living arrangements stem from her roles as a constituency MP and a secretary of state.

Further complicating matters, Land Registry documents reveal pending changes to the ownership of her Ashton-under-Lyne home, made before the Hove purchase on 1 May 2025.

Neighbours in Ashton-under-Lyne have also claimed Ms Rayner is rarely seen at the property, where her children reside with her ex-husband.

Editor’s Note:

Please see the HMRC flow chart below for SDLT.

Even if the new property is to be her main residence, she would have to pay the higher rate of SDLT if the previous main residence has not been sold.

There is a provision for a refund of the additional SDLT paid if the old main residence is sold within three years.