UK deputy prime minister resigns amid tax scandal

Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom, resigned after a probe revealed she had lied about paying her flat’s tax, leading to a wider cabinet reshuffle and furthering the Labour Party’s woes.

In a letter to Keir Starmer, the prime minister, Rayner said she “did not meet the highest standards” and would step down from her positions as deputy leader of Labour and housing minister.

Rayner, who admitted to underpaying a surcharge on the flat last week, “regrets a lot that I don’t seek additional specialist tax advice.” She claimed that she accepted full responsibility for the error.

Starmer responded that his party would be devastated to lose her from the government, but added that she would continue to be a significant force.

Starmer’s government has endured a number of crises since taking office in July 2024, and it now trails hard-right firebrand Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party in national polls. Rayner was popular with working-class voters and a skilled mediator between Labour’s left and centrist wings.

According to Birmingham-based Jonah Hull of Al Jazeera, Keir Starmer loses “perhaps the closest link the Labour Party has to its working-class roots” in losing her.

Shortly before UK media reported that Lucy Powell, the head of the House of Commons, and Ian Murray, the head of Scotland, both had been fired.

Powell claimed in a post on X that Starmer had informed her that he intended to appoint a new Commons leader.

The government has not had a good time this time. People want to see better and more difficult lives being led, according to Powell.

Pic, from me, to a Statement Twitter.com/Twitter/p/nmhJeKDRV

Complexity in the Rayner tax scandal

Following days of reports that claimed she had saved £40, 000 ($53, 000) by removing her name from the deeds of another property, Rayner admitted on Wednesday that she had underpaid the so-called stamp duty on a seaside flat in southern England.

Ethics chief Laurie Magnus acknowledged that Rayner had twice been informed that the lower rate of stamp duty was applicable and that the rules “entailed a significant degree of complexity” after looking into the case.

However, the fact that it was acknowledged to not be expert tax advice qualified that recommendation.

She “cannot be said to have met the highest possible standards of proper conduct” due to Rayner’s failure to seek further guidance, according to Magnus.

Rayner has frequently been projected to lead the Labour Party and has become a frequent target of political attacks from the Conservatives and the right-wing media.