UK Deputy PM Rayner Faces Ethics Probe Over £40K Stamp Duty Underpayment

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is facing a political crisis after admitting she underpaid stamp duty on her £800,000 flat in Hove due to complex family financial arrangements involving a court-instructed trust for her disabled son. Rayner has denied any attempt to evade tax, attributing the error to initial legal advice that did not properly account for the trust, and has referred herself to both HM Revenue and Customs and the Prime Minister's independent ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has publicly supported Rayner, emphasizing pride in her rise from a working-class background and committing to do everything possible to support her, though a ministerial reshuffle has been postponed pending the investigation. Conservative politicians, including Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, have called for Rayner's resignation and for HMRC to investigate potential tax evasion, with Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake requesting a full probe and penalties. Property lawyers criticized Rayner's explanation, questioning whether her conveyancers were fully informed of her complicated family arrangements, which may have led to the tax error. The investigation is expected to conclude shortly and could determine Rayner's political future amid calls for her to step down.