Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has refused to say whether Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner will be sacked if she is found to have broken the ministerial code over an underpayment of stamp duty.
Rayner has admitted paying the wrong amount of tax on the purchase of an £800,000 flat in Hove, describing the mistake as the result of incorrect legal advice. She has since referred herself to the independent adviser on ministers’ interests, Sir Laurie Magnus, who is now investigating the case.
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Rayner’s Admission and Timeline of Events
The row began when the Daily Telegraph reported questions about Rayner’s stamp duty payments. Her team initially insisted the correct tax had been paid. However, she later sought further legal advice and, last Wednesday, a King’s Counsel concluded that she had underpaid.
Rayner then publicly acknowledged the error, saying she “deeply regretted” the mistake and was committed to resolving the matter transparently.
The timeline shows that in 2016 Rayner and her husband bought a home in Greater Manchester. After their divorce in 2023, ownership was split between the two of them and a trust set up for their son. In 2025, Rayner sold her share to the trust and purchased the East Sussex property. Because her son, the trust beneficiary, is under 18, she and her ex-husband were still considered co-owners of the Manchester home, meaning the Hove purchase should have attracted the higher second home stamp duty rate of ÂŁ70,000 rather than the ÂŁ30,000 she paid.
Legal Advice Under Scrutiny
Rayner’s allies have stressed she acted on professional advice from her conveyancer and two trust law experts. However, Verrico & Associates, the Kent conveyancing firm that handled the purchase, stated they only calculated the duty based on the information given to them and did not provide specialist tax or trust advice.
Legal experts have since pointed out that conveyancers are rarely qualified to give detailed tax advice, particularly in complex cases involving trusts. The identities of the two trust experts Rayner consulted remain unclear.
Starmer Stands Firm but Avoids Sack Question
Speaking to the BBC, Sir Keir Starmer said he would act on Sir Laurie Magnus’s findings, which he expects “quickly and comprehensively.” However, he repeatedly declined to say whether that would mean removing Rayner from her posts if she is judged to have breached the code.
He dismissed comparisons with Boris Johnson’s decision not to sack Priti Patel after an adviser concluded she had bullied staff, insisting he had strengthened both the code and the adviser’s role since taking office.
“The facts need to be established,” he said. “Once I have Sir Laurie’s report, it will fall to me to make a decision.”
While Starmer has the authority to dismiss Rayner as housing secretary and deputy prime minister, he cannot strip her of her position as deputy leader of the Labour Party, which was secured through a membership election.
Opposition Calls for Resignation
The Conservatives and Reform UK have demanded Rayner’s immediate resignation. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of weakness, saying: “Time and time again he has said he would instantly sack people in this situation. Now the shoe is on the other foot, and what we see is hypocrisy.”
Badenoch argued that Rayner’s admission of underpayment should have resulted in her stepping down or being dismissed immediately.
Waiting for the Verdict
For now, both the government and the public are awaiting the outcome of Sir Laurie Magnus’s investigation, which could be published as early as Friday. Until then, Rayner remains in her post with Starmer’s backing, while the row continues to provide ammunition for her political opponents.
Rayner has pledged to resolve the matter fully and said she remains committed to the principles of transparency and accountability in public service.
