Never miss a moment Stay ahead with live news updates in our award-winning app Enjoy four months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. | | Angela Rayner appears close to tears while speaking to Sky News |  | Robert Mendick Chief Reporter | Angela Rayner is fighting for her political life. Why? Because the Deputy Prime Minister sold the Exchequer short when she bought her £800,000 home by the seaside in Hove. Instead of paying £70,000 stamp duty, Ms Rayner paid £30,000. That’s a whopping £40,000 less than she should have.
We know this because last week The Telegraph’s reporting team began digging away at the purchase of her Hove apartment, including asking awkward questions about the tax paid when she bought it. There were glimpses of issues in the documents registered that didn’t quite make sense.
But when The Telegraph realised Ms Rayner had paid only £30,000 – rather than £70,000 – the Deputy PM and her team were bullish. She had done no wrong and had absolutely, definitely and certainly paid the right amount of stamp duty. To suggest otherwise was nonsense.
Ms Rayner held this line for six days, allowing Sir Keir Starmer to announce his political reset on Monday. The Prime Minister must have been cock-a-hoop – an opportunity to seize the day and get a grip on the economy, immigration and all the other problems that have seen the Labour Government’s popularity plunge in the polls.
But The Telegraph (and other papers) carried on chipping away. | Ms Rayner paid £30,000 in stamp duty rather than the £70,000 owed when purchasing the Hove flat (pictured above) | By Tuesday, The Telegraph had uncovered a Land Registry document that showed she had sold her financial stake in the family home and used the £162,500 paid out to put down the deposit on the Hove flat. But that money came from a trust set up for her disabled son who received an NHS payout in 2020 over problems with his birth in 2008.
In return for her £162,500, Ms Rayner gave her son, through the trust, a quarter share in the family home in Ashton-under-Lyne where she is the MP. It meant she no longer had a financial stake in the house but her name remained on the deeds.
| The Deputy PM’s family home in Ashton-under-Lyne | Now Ms Rayner says she received bad legal advice and was told she didn’t need to pay the second home surcharge. But in the past couple of days, she approached an eminent tax KC who told her the tax rules had been wrongly interpreted.
Finally, on Wednesday, Ms Rayner admitted what The Telegraph had suspected – she had made, in her own words, “an error” and had reported herself to Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister’s official adviser on ethics. Never mind that the Tories had already written to Sir Laurie demanding an inquiry in the wake of last week’s revelations in The Telegraph. The Deputy PM is also facing a separate investigation by HM Revenue and Customs.
Sir Keir, not known for his political nous, is backing his deputy, but for how long will be interesting. Sir Laurie may well give Ms Rayner a clean bill of health, but the court of public opinion is not so forgiving. Ms Rayner’s political career hangs by the proverbial thread.
Read the full story here ➤
Plus, see more of our coverage below:
Rayner on the brink after admitting tax dodge ➤
What the Deputy PM did wrong – and why ignorance is no excuse ➤
Rayner has just torpedoed Reeves’s Budget plans ➤ | | Allister Heath Even Nigel Farage testifying before the US Congress did not convey the full horror of what is happening in the UK Continue reading ➤ Melanie McDonagh Hiding misjudgment behind Rayner’s class won’t wash with real workers Continue reading ➤ Allison Pearson Labour’s race to show they love flags would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic Continue reading ➤ | We speak your mind Enjoy free-thinking comment that champions your values Enjoy four months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. | | Graham Linehan claims he was locked up for 12 hours by police and treated like a terrorist | | The US has voiced fears over the erosion of free speech in the UK after Father Ted creator Graham Linehan was detained by five armed police officers at Heathrow. Calling the arrest a “departure from democracy”, Donald Trump’s state department criticised Britain’s crackdown on online speech after Linehan mocked trans people in three social media posts. It’s the latest sign of growing disquiet within the Trump administration over threats to freedom of expression in Europe. Continue reading ➤ | |  | | Russian companies working in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone are supplied by many Chinese firms | | The Telegraph can reveal that Moscow has Beijing to thank for ensuring its arsenal of combat drones – used to brutal effect in Ukraine – is never fully depleted. Our investigation found that Chinese companies directly supplied at least $55 million worth of parts and materials to Russian firms sanctioned for producing drones. Xi Jinping made a public show of support for Vladimir Putin at a massive military parade on Wednesday, but Sophia Yan has dug deeper into the below-the-radar relationship between the two countries. Continue reading ➤ | | | | | John McCririck was the face of Channel 4’s racing coverage | | From Elizabeth II’s opinions on John McCririck – and the EU referendum – to the day Cherie Blair made an excruciating faux pas over tea at Balmoral, an entertaining new book by former royal correspondent Valentine Low sheds new light on the reign of the late Queen. We’ve picked out the highlights. Continue reading ➤ | | | September means the familiar dance of ferrying children (and grandchildren) between school, football, ballet and home again is in full swing. Is there even time to sit down and eat dinner as a family? It’s likely not. While we naturally want to give the next generation the best start in life, it’s time to admit we’re all exhausted, says expert Cathy Walker. She explains a better way forward here. Continue reading ➤ | | | After Brexit, the British dream of an idyllic life in France appeared under threat. But new income requirements for visas have in fact helped fuel a flurry of British expats buying pretty cottages and farmhouses, and converting their barns and outbuildings into gîtes – or holiday lets. These businesses can earn £10,000 to £20,000 a year, and they’re also eligible for tax breaks – in stark contrast to Britain’s system. We meet the families setting up a new life for themselves across the Channel. Continue reading ➤ | | | When looking at the fashion season ahead, we can get distracted by high gloss runway shows, with their celebrity attendees; but what about the stalwarts of the British high street, where most of us buy our clothes? After a tricky year or so in retail, some of the most familiar names – John Lewis and The White Company among them – are fighting back with creativity and courage. As Lisa Armstrong, our Head of Fashion, writes, these traditional retailers have “taken their medicine and it’s working”.
Continue reading ➤
Below are two more helpful articles for you this morning: - Autumn and winter mark a great time to visit America, writes Chris Leadbeater. These are his picks of the best trips to book now.
- Curious about electric cars but doubtful about their range? These are the 10 longest-range vehicles – and they all cover over 400 miles.
| | As part of his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, has claimed that Americans are being “unknowingly poisoned” by seed oils, calling for restaurants to return to using animal fats instead. In response, major chains ranging from Sweetgreen to Steak ‘n Shake have followed suit, in many cases swapping seed oils for beef tallow.
Politicians and social media influencers have linked seed oils – such as rapeseed, sunflower and soybean – to chronic inflammation, harmful chemicals, and oxidative stress (an imbalance which can cause cell and tissue damage).
Yet despite the social media storm surrounding them, nutrition researchers say that this contradicts decades of evidence.
For example, in one major study which followed more than 220,000 people for three decades, participants with the highest intake of plant-based oils, including both olive and seed oils, had a lower risk of premature death, compared with those who consumed more animal-based fats. So what’s really going on? Journalist and scientist David Cox investigates the truth behind the debate – and whether we really should be swapping our seed oil for butter.
Continue reading ➤ | A tale of two towns Every weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal Reader Correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes...
I have a soft spot for old-school seaside towns. My own home town, St Ives, though undeniably by the sea, doesn’t really fit into this category: these days there are too many boujee ex-fisherman’s cottages and natural wine bars. All very nice, of course – but there’s a distinctly British kind of fun to be had in places where the buildings on the promenade could have done with a fresh coat of paint several decades ago and the Ferris wheel on the beach haunts the nightmares of health and safety inspectors.
Clacton-on-Sea in Essex and Great Yarmouth in Norfolk – constituencies of the squabbling MPs Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe respectively – have had a fairly bad press over the years. The Telegraph’s Robert Jackman, however, visited both – and found himself charmed.
Telegraph readers, too, had good things to say about these maligned resorts. Adrian Bamford wrote: “I work in the entertainment industry and occasionally visit Clacton and Great Yarmouth. We have a great time in both: the atmosphere is extremely friendly and the people are wonderful.”
Gillian Cooper added: “We went to Clacton for a promenade walk this summer. The town centre is drab but the beach is lovely, as was one of the cafes overlooking the sea. The gardens along the front are well kept. There were loads of families having fun on the beach. The sunshine helped. Would I want to live there? No. But for a beach stroll? Yes!”
Another reader “confess[ed] to finding something rather special about Great Yarmouth. It just says fun from start to finish, and is a really friendly, honest sort of place. Children love it and there’s lots to do”.
And Sue Donnelly had a tip: “Yarmouth has one of the best little racecourses in the country. It’s wonderful. Go.” Do you agree? You can let me know here, or head to our Your Say page, exclusively on the Telegraph app. | Join the debate Share your thoughts with our journalists and your fellow readers Enjoy four months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. | Plan your day with the telegraph | Set your alarm to catch up with journalists on the Your Say page and listen to their analysis on our latest podcasts.
| | Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including PlusWord, Sorted, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.
The solution to yesterday’s clue was AMOUNTING. Come back tomorrow for the answer to today’s puzzle. | | Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor
P.S. Please let me know what you think of this newsletter. You can email me here. | |
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