Angela Rayner has said she has been cleared of wrongdoing by HMRC in regards to her tax affairs.
Last September, Rayner stepped down as deputy prime minister and housing secretary after admitting she underpaid £40,000 in stamp duty on a flat in Hove.
This was due to complex arrangements surrounding a trust for her disabled son which meant the flat should have been considered her second home.
Rayner referred herself to the prime minister’s ethics adviser, who concluded that Rayner “acted with integrity” but had breached the ministerial code.
Now, Rayner has told ITV News she has been “cleared” by HMRC over her tax affairs.
“They’ve said that there wasn’t any wrongdoing and that I didn’t try to avoid paying tax,” she said.
Rayner said it “hurt” when she was accused of having deliberately tried to avoid tax “because I had to then talk about my son and his personal circumstances.”
In a statement posted on social media, Rayner said:
I welcome HMRC’s conclusion, which has cleared me of any wrongdoing. I have been exonerated by HMRC of the accusation that I deliberately sought to avoid tax.
When purchasing a home of my own with a mortgage, I did not own any other property and had no personal financial interest in the court-instructed trust set up to manage my son’s financial award.
I was advised by experts that I should pay stamp duty at the standard rate. I set out to pay the correct amount of tax. I took reasonable care and acted in good faith, based on the expert advice I received, and HMRC has accepted this.
I have always sought to act with integrity, and I believe politicians should be held to high standards – that is why I resigned from government and cooperated fully with HMRC.
I wanted to ensure that I paid every penny that I owed, and have done so. I am relieved that my family can now move on – and that I can get on with my job.
The news of Rayner being cleared by HMRC comes the day after it was confirmed that Nigel Farage would face an investigation over a £5m sum he received from a crypto billionaire and did did not declare.
The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner will investigate the Reform leader over whether he breached the House of Commons Code of Conduct by not declaring the money.
The Clacton MP has said he was sent the money by crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne so he could fund his personal security costs.
Farage has denied that he should have declared the sum, which he received just weeks before announcing he would stand as a candidate in the 2024 general election.
Commons rules state that MPs are required to declare any potentially relevant gifts or donations received in the 12 months before entering parliament.
