Angela Rayner resigned as UK deputy prime minister after an ethics probe found she breached the ministerial code by underpaying property tax.
Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner resigned on Friday after an investigation found she breached the ministerial code by underpaying property tax, dealing a significant blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government.
Rayner, a key figure on Labour’s left, admitted earlier this week to errors on stamp duty payments linked to a flat purchase and referred herself to the government’s ethics adviser.
In his findings, ethics chief Laurie Magnus said Rayner failed to “heed the caution” of legal advice and had therefore breached the code, though he praised her integrity and service.
“Given the findings, and the impact on my family, I have therefore decided to resign,” Rayner wrote, adding she would also step down as housing minister and Labour’s deputy leader. She acknowledged, “I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice” and took “full responsibility.”
Starmer said he was “very sad” to lose her, but stressed Rayner “will remain a major figure in our party.”