Angela Rayner to leave Government after standards probe into tax affairs
The Deputy Prime Minister faced mounting pressure after it emerged she failed to pay enough stamp duty on a flat she bought in Hove.
Last updated 5th Sep 2025
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has resigned from the Government following an investigation into her tax affairs by Sir Keir Starmer's independent standards adviser.
In a letter, she told the Prime Minister that "I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice" and took "full responsibility for this error" as she resigned as Deputy Prime Minister, Housing Secretary and deputy leader of the Labour Party.
Ethics watchdog Sir Laurie Magnus said Angela Rayner had "acted with integrity and with a dedicated and exemplary commitment to public service" but concluded she breached the ministerial code over her tax affairs.
Sir Laurie Magnus found that Angela Rayner "did not heed the caution" in legal advice she received when buying her Hove flat.
The independent ethics adviser said in his letter: "She believed that she relied on the legal advice she had received, but unfortunately did not heed the caution contained within it, which acknowledged that it did not constitute expert tax advice and which suggested that expert advice be sought.
"I am conscious of the acute challenges ministers face - perhaps uniquely - in managing the demands of their personal lives and their public responsibilities.
"However, the responsibility of any taxpayer for reporting their tax returns and settling their liabilities rests ultimately with themselves."
The Prime Minister received the report on Wednesday morning.
He has told Angela Rayner "you will remain a major figure in our party" and will "continue to fight for the causes you care so passionately about."
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has said Angela Rayner's position was "untenable for days" after the Deputy Prime Minister admitted she underpaid stamp duty on a flat she bought in Hove earlier this year.
In a video posted on X, Ms Badenoch said: "Angela Rayner is finally gone. It says everything about Keir Starmer's weak leadership that he had to wait for a report before acting.
"The truth is simple, she dodged tax. She lied about it. Her position was untenable for days.
"Keir Starmer once promised honesty and integrity in politics, but when faced with this test, he hesitated: no principles, no backbone.
"We Conservatives forced this investigation and were vindicated. But this isn't the end. Questions remain. What did Keir Starmer know and when did he mislead the public?"
The Deputy Prime Minister has faced mounting pressure to stand down over recent days after admitting she underpaid stamp duty on a flat she bought in Hove earlier this year.
Ms Rayner, who is resigning as Deputy Prime Minister and as Housing Secretary, paid £40,000 less of the surcharge on the property than she should have, as she claimed it was her main home rather than a second home.