Angela Rayner’s return branded a ‘slap in the face’ to taxpayers | Politics | News
Anger erupted after Angela Rayner’s former job running residential properties was given back just months after she was sacked over a tax scandal involving home purchases. Property experts have described the move as a “slap in the face” for taxpayers across the country after new Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced his return.
The former Mayor of Manchester confirmed the change yesterday after Starmer dropped his allies from his senior team. But industry experts have rubbished the appointment, slamming the returning housing chief with a series of damning remarks.
speaking to the newspaperLodestone Mortgages director Craig Fish said: “This feels like a slap in the face to everyone who plays by the rules.
“He resigned over an unpaid stamp duty bill on his own home, then was given full reinstatement to the department that writes the housing and stamp duty policy.”
Anita Wright of Ribble Wealth Management said the appointment was “moral hazard in the sash and badge”.
He added: “The problem isn’t that people make mistakes, it’s that mistakes at the top cost nothing.”
Zmartly’s Harvey Dhillon warned that ordinary taxpayers would face draconian penalties for the same mistake.
He said: “Whatever you think about politics, this is a two-fold message on tax.”
Rohit Kohli of The Mortgage Stop said: “This appears to be a reward for loyalty, not a recognition of competence.”
Ms Rayner was forced to resign as deputy prime minister and housing secretary last September after admitting she underpaid stamp duty on an £800,000 bolt hole in Hove.
The tax storm forced him to quit the Cabinet in disgrace and he only settled with HMRC in May this year.
Ms Rayner coughed up £40,000 in unpaid stamp duty following an investigation and now, barely ten months later, she is back to head the department responsible for housing and stamp duty policy.
The New Housing chief insisted he had been “exonerated” by HMRC and had acted in “good faith” at all times.
But critics say the taxman’s decision carries little weight as the woman who evaded stamp duty is once again writing Britain’s stamp duty rules.
