Angela Rayner has been accused of trying to avoid the council tax surcharge on her Westminster residence.
The Conservatives have written to Sir Keir Starmer and the Prime Minister’s Ethics Advisor Sir Laurie Magnus, suggesting she failed to pay the correct rate of council tax on her grace and favour official residence at Admiralty House.
Westminster City Council brought in a 100 per cent council tax surcharge on second homes in April, meaning the £2,034 bill on her flat in Whitehall should have doubled.
However, the council was not informed that the flat at Admiralty House was her second home until the beginning of May, more than a month after the premium became due.
While a retrospective one-off payment was then made in late July, it was only after Parliamentary Questions by the Conservatives.
Ms Rayner, the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, was forced to resign from the Cabinet and as deputy prime minister over her tax affairs, sparking a reshuffle.
Tory Party Chairman Kevin Hollinrake told The Telegraph: “This new evidence confirms what we have long suspected: Angela Rayner failed to pay the council tax she was liable for, broke the ministerial code and led to ministers misleading Parliament in the process.
“Having already failed to pay £40,000 in stamp duty and now failed to properly discharge her council tax bill, there can never be a route back into government for Angela Rayner.
“She must also pay back her £17,000 golden goodbye she received after resigning. All this at a time when Labour are hitting families with higher council tax bills. It is simply indefensible that one of their most senior figures avoided paying her own.”
A source close to the former Deputy Prime Minister said: “The Government is responsible for liaising with Westminster city council and administering council tax on Admiralty House, not Angela, and there is no suggestion she did anything other than properly discharge her own responsibilities as and when required.”
A Government spokesman said: “As the property was a second residence, the Government was responsible for paying the council tax on Admiralty House, not the former Deputy Prime Minister, in line with long-standing precedent under successive governments.
“The Government property agency paid the full amount as soon as the invoice was received from Westminster Council.”
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Your Party confirmed as name for Jeremy Corbyn’s new outfit
Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn closed the conference
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PA
Jeremy Corbyn’s new left-wing movement decided to make the name Your Party permanent at the conclusion of its tense inaugural conference.
The former Labour leader announced the interim name will be kept as he wrapped up the weekend which also saw his preferred leadership set-up rejected.
Members voted for the name Your Party over the alternatives Our Party, Popular Alliance and For The Many.
They also voted narrowly against having a single elected leader, opting instead for a collective model favoured by his rival Zarah Sultana that puts a committee of members in charge.
Mr Corbyn, the MP for Islington North, admitted there had been “frustrations” in the establishment of the outfit but said “we have come a long way” as he closed the gathering in Liverpool on Sunday.
Nigel Farage reports Rachel Reeves to PM’s ethics adviser after ‘serious Budget breach’ allegations
Nigel Farage has reported Rachel Reeves to Sir Keir Starmer’s independent ethics adviser over alleged breaches of the ministerial code.
The Reform UK leader, who sent his 968-word letter to Sir Magnus Laurie tonight, claimed the Chancellor pushed “a sustained and deliberate narrative” after it was reported the UK was facing a black hole of between £22billion and £40billion.
Mr Farage cited Ms Reeves’s remarks in the House of Commons in early November and pointed out that the Chancellor had not disclosed the Office for Budget Responsibility’s positive headroom forecast to MPs or the public.
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Labour MP Tulip Siddiq handed prison sentence in Bangladesh after corruption trial
Sheikh Hasina is the aunt of Labour’s Tulip Siddiq | GETTY
Labour MP Tulip Siddiq has been sentenced to two years in prison in Bangladesh following a corruption trial.
The former minister, who has strongly denied the allegations, was found guilty of using her influence with her aunt, former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to secure land near the capital of Dhaka.
Ms Siddiq, the MP for Hampstead and Highgate still faces several unresolved charges in the South Asian country.
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