Angela Rayner has been plunged into a major political scandal after admitting she dodged paying the full tax bill on a luxury seaside flat and is now under formal investigation by the ministerial watchdog.
The Deputy Prime Minister confessed she failed to cough up the right amount of tax when she snapped up a flat in Hove in May, sparking fury among critics and sending shockwaves through Westminster. The watchdog has now stepped in to launch a probe that could wreck her career.
Rayner insists it was all an “innocent mistake”, but furious opponents say there is nothing innocent about a senior government figure underpaying tax while ordinary families are being squeezed to the bone. One MP blasted: “People are struggling to pay their bills, yet the Deputy Prime Minister can’t even get her own tax affairs in order.”
The flat purchase in one of the South Coast’s most desirable postcodes should have triggered a hefty tax bill, but Rayner admitted that she underpaid and has only now agreed to settle up with HMRC. Critics accuse her of hypocrisy and claim she has “lost all moral authority” to lecture others about fairness and responsibility.
The timing could not be worse. With trust in politicians already at rock bottom, the scandal threatens to spiral into a full-blown crisis for the government. Insiders whisper that if the watchdog delivers a damning verdict, Rayner’s future in the Cabinet could be over.
Despite the uproar, Rayner has refused to quit. She issued a grovelling apology and promised to cooperate fully, but the pressure is mounting by the hour. Headlines across the country are already dubbing the affair “Flatgate” a nickname ministers fear could haunt her for months.
For now, the Deputy Prime Minister is clinging to her post. But as the investigation gathers pace, the big question remains: will Angela Rayner survive the storm, or is this the scandal that finally brings her down?