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Investing.com -- British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner resigned on Friday after admitting she underpaid property tax on a new home, dealing a blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government.
Rayner, 45, becomes the eighth ministerial departure from Starmer’s team and the most senior to date. Her resignation comes after Starmer had previously offered her his full support when accusations first emerged that she deliberately tried to avoid paying the correct tax rate.
Rayner had referred herself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards on Wednesday after acknowledging her mistake regarding the tax payment. In an emotional interview, she explained setting up a trust for one of her sons, who has life-long disabilities resulting from an injury.
She sold her share of her family home in northern England to this trust to purchase an apartment in Hove, a southern English seaside resort. Rayner believed this arrangement meant she wouldn’t have to pay the higher rate of tax charged when buying a second home. After seeking additional legal advice, she admitted her mistake and took steps to pay the additional tax.
The resignation adds to Starmer’s challenges as Labour currently trails Britain’s populist Reform UK in polls. Rayner, who was sometimes mentioned as a potential successor to Starmer, reportedly had wider appeal than the prime minister himself.