What was HMRC’s investigation into Angela Rayner’s tax affairs all about?
Key takeaways
- Angela Rayner, centre, pictured with Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting, will feel free to play a full role in any leadership challenge to Starmer.
- When the then deputy prime minister bought a flat in Hove with her partner in April 2025, she paid the standard rate of stamp duty – £30,000 – on the £800,000 transaction.
- That purchase was part-funded by the proceeds of selling her 25% share in the family home, in her constituency of Ashton-under-Lyne, to a trust set up in the name of her disabled son.
Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.
Angela Rayner, centre, pictured with Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting, will feel free to play a full role in any leadership challenge to Starmer. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Angela Rayner, centre, pictured with Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting, will feel free to play a full role in any leadership challenge to Starmer. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images Angela Rayner Explainer What was HMRC’s investigation into Angela Rayner’s tax affairs all about?Findings of inquiry into stamp duty paid on Hove flat crucial to any leadership bid
Prefer the Guardian on GoogleAngela Rayner has been cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness over her tax affairs, the Guardian reported, paving the way for a potential leadership bid as Keir Starmer’s grip on power unravels.
When the then deputy prime minister bought a flat in Hove with her partner in April 2025, she paid the standard rate of stamp duty – £30,000 – on the £800,000 transaction.