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Why has Angela Rayner not resigned after she admitted underpaying stamp duty on her £800,000 flat in Hove?

The revelation from the Housing Secretary – and Deputy Prime Minister – comes after she previously insisted she had done nothing wrong, a stance now undermined by the facts.

In Opposition, Rayner was a Labour attack dog – mauling members of the then-Conservative government when they were alleged to have broken the rules. Now she finds herself in the same position as them. Why isn’t she following her own former demands?

Rayner v Zahawi: hypocrisy?

Consider Rayner’s condemnation of Nadhim Zahawi.

When Zahawi – Minister Without Portfolio at the time – came under fire for tax irregularities in January 2023, Rayner publicly stated he should not remain in office.

He was eventually found to have underpaid millions of pounds in tax but, rather than be prosecuted for it like any normal UK citizen, he was permitted to pay what he owed.

Notice the problem with this: he only agreed to pay back the money after he had been caught failing to pay it in the first place.

He had also previously tried to use a so-called SLAPP lawsuit to silence a journalist investigating his tax affairs.

He was fired by then-prime minister Rishi Sunak.

Critics now point to a striking contrast: Zahawi’s tax errors led to his removal – while Rayner, facing a similar tax-related issue, remains in office.

Even though she has admitted the underpayment, referred herself to the Prime Minister’s ethics adviser, and is cooperating with HMRC, the optics raise clear questions of consistency and potential hypocrisy.

Rayner and  Rushanara Ali: ethics, perception, and housing ministers

Rayner is not the first Labour housing minister to face scrutiny over personal conduct that contradicted their portfolio.

Rushanara Ali, former Homelessness Minister, resigned after her decisions about a property she owned contradicted the government’s housing agenda, even though she did nothing illegal.

After informing tenants their lease would not be renewed due to a planned sale, Ali later re-listed the house for rent at £700 more per month — a practice the very department she oversaw had been seeking to outlaw under the Renters’ Rights Bill that she herself was steering through Parliament.

Ali recognized that the perception of conflict between personal conduct and ministerial duties made her position untenable.

Rayner – by contrast – remains in office despite underpaying stamp duty – and seems unconcerned about what it says about her.

The broader implications

Rayner seems to be relying on a recurring tension in politics: the differences between what is legal, what is ethical, and what the public perceives as acceptable.

Rayner’s role as Housing Secretary adds weight to the controversy, as she is responsible for overseeing property-related policies, including taxation and housing fairness.

The Labour leadership now faces a question: how to maintain moral clarity and public trust when ministers’ personal actions clash with their public responsibilities?

Vox Political‘s (interim) verdict

This is an ongoing situation, so the following may be subject to change in the future.

Angela Rayner’s admission of underpaying stamp duty may be legally straightforward, but in politics, perception is power.

Compared with Zahawi’s resignation and Ali’s voluntary departure, the episode invites scrutiny over double standards, the Labour government’s approach to ministerial accountability, and the broader integrity of housing ministers.

For voters and political observers alike, it is a test not just of individual ministers, but of Labour’s commitment to the ethical standards it has promised to uphold.

If Rayner wants to hold on to her job – and her political career – she’ll need to do a lot more than put up her hands and say, “I made a boo-boo!”

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