Angela Rayner’s lawyers: We never gave her tax advice
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/09/04/rayner-small-family-firm-stamp-duty/
Posted by 457655676
Angela Rayner’s lawyers: We never gave her tax advice
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/09/04/rayner-small-family-firm-stamp-duty/
Posted by 457655676
26 Comments
All we are asking is that she is held to the same standards she has consistently called for others to be held to.
She is a massive hypocrite and no better than a tory if she doesn’t resign.
Trust in politics is disintegrating rapidly. Every single day, more news like this appears. I’m afraid the country is governed by lacklustre and mediocre scoundrels, idiots and technocrats. Starmer needs to be replaced by Andy Burnham. He’s the last hope Labour have right now. If he fails, then I see trust in UK politics fully evaporating. Won’t be good for anyone.
Not looking good for her is it? Any sign of half truths from her and she will have to be shown the door
Telegraph talking about tax dodgers? Makes a change, usually propping em up.
I guess if you’re going to try to throw a business under the bus and potentially ruin that business to save your own career, you really have to make sure you’re 100% sure it was them that gave you bad advice before accusing them on TV.
If that business and reputation suffer now, legal action from them could be another thing Rayner has to look forward to.
Trust in politicians is really damaged by stuff like this.
We should have more “I don’t believe that I am in the wrong, but to avoid even the illusion of unfairness, I resign, apologise and will pay back the money”
And less “I did nothing wrong and I refuse to give up my position to a point past where it’s so embarrassing that it’s ridiculous, and still keep a straight face”
The lawyers can only provide advice/ services on information given. As a dermatologist, if someone didn’t mention pertinent facts about a skin rash (eg bathing in bleach daily) my diagnosis and treatment plan may not be correct. Professionals can only do their best job if the client does their best job/tells the full facts.
I’m confused. It says they never gave her tax advice, yet it also says they calculated how much stamp duty she owed and presumably told her that amount.
So scapegoating third parties didn’t work, how long before it becomes painfully obvious she simply wanted to avoid paying the right amount lol
Anyone with half a brain knows that a trust doesn’t relinquish you of tax duties. Its still an asset you own, trust or no trust.
She has to go. What a fucking hypocrite
Passing authoritarian laws and MPs breaking rules? Close enough, welcome back 2019 Conservative Party.
If I were her lawyers I would probably say the same, even if it isn’t true. Verbal advice is hard to prove.
God i can’t wait for this entire government to just implode
Shafting absolutely everyone i care about
They have the cheek to go after farmers over inheritance tax and the deputy prime minister pulls this lol
We never gave her advice, but we did tell her what the online calculator said…
“The stamp duty for the Hove flat was calculated using HMRC’s own online calculator, based on the figures and the information provided by Ms Rayner. That’s what we used, and it told us we had to pay £30,000 based on the information provided to us.”
Oh dear. Her scapegoat won’t sit and take it lying down.
Sounds like you’ve been caught Tax Evader Rayner
what is the probability three professionals gave her wrong advice? This is what these people do day to day and with her status they would be even more careful. What I think is she misled them and she only got advice based on the information she gave.
Where are all those who were leaping to her defence yesterday then?
I think she likely knew (or thought she knew) there was a possible loophole and she took advantage of it, to try and save the £40k. There’s not many other possibilities. Let’s be real here, she knew what was going on tax-wise, Maybe some friends told her about this loophole, or her boyfriend, but there is no chance this was “overlooked” or a mistake. She was trying to avoid paying the 40 grand. If she denies it she must think we are all idiots.
She needs to go, so does Reeves, starmer needs to grow a spine and help British people.
Like her or not she needs to resign for integrity’s sake. The common folk don’t get away with it and she should be ultra-careful with this. It’s a dereliction of duty and a smear on her party and government.
Whether Labour like or not Politics is all about optics today.
They spent years pointing the finger at the Tories and rightly so, however this comes with a price and that price is knowing the second they fuck up the Tories along with all mates in the media would come down on them like a ton of bricks.
Now considering they have gone after the anybody out of work basically accusing them of been work shy lazy benefits cheats it made even more important for them to be as innocent as the Virgin Mary.
The very second there was any suspicious of wrong doing Starmer needed relive her of her position.
However Starmer is has no balls to speak off so here we are…
It only accounts for 8 seconds of NHS spending but it’s the principle of it all, she needs to resign or make a donation to the exchequer, neither will happen most likely
This is a comment that will blow the minds of Tory voters. I voted labour, and I fully support holding our politicians accountable. Investigate her.
I know, this is mind blowing that it’s possible to not just blindly side with your parties politicians right?
It’s fairly standard for conveyancing solicitors to explicitly state they are not tax advisors. It’s not even buried in the small print, they usually state it prominently when you first engage them.
Seems inevitable that she’ll have to resign. And sell her flat given resigning means halving her salary.