Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has purchased an £800,000 seaside apartment in Hove, adding to her growing property portfolio at the very time her department is allowing councils to impose punishing 100 per cent surcharges on second homes.
The Deputy Prime Minister’s new “holiday home” on the Sussex coast brings her property holdings to three residences: the Hove flat, a £650,000 constituency house in Ashton-under-Lyne, and a three-bedroom grace-and-favour apartment in London’s prestigious Admiralty House. The purchase has prompted the Conservatives to demand she “come clean” about her council tax arrangements.
The timing could hardly be more controversial. As Rayner enjoys sea views from her new acquisition, her department has begun implementing measures allowing town halls to levy double council tax on second homes – a policy inherited from the previous Conservative government but enthusiastically embraced by Labour to combat locals being priced out of popular tourist destinations like Hove.
‘Three Pads’ Rayner Under Fire
Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly has launched a scathing attack on Rayner’s refusal to clarify her property arrangements, accusing her of dodging parliamentary questions about where she pays council tax.
Angela Rayner is responsible for housing policy, yet she won’t even be straight about her own,” Cleverly told the Mail on Sunday. “Time and again she’s been asked to declare exactly what properties she owns and where she pays council tax, and time and again she’s dodged those questions.”
He added: “We’ve done everything possible to get answers, but she still refuses to come clean. That matters, because this is the same Deputy Prime Minister who’s hiked taxes on family homes across the country. If she’s not prepared to be open about her own affairs while taxing everyone else, the public will wonder what she has to hide.”
Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, was even more blunt in his assessment: “Rayner is the Everest of hypocrisy. She laments a housing shortage, wants to soak the rich whilst selfishly building her own property mountain.”
Complex Council Tax Calculations
The council tax implications of Rayner’s property portfolio are significant and complicated. When she entered government, Rayner designated her Ashton-under-Lyne home as her “primary residence” and her previous London rental as a second home, allowing her to claim back the £1,621 council tax bill on the London flat from taxpayers as part of MP housing cost reimbursements.
However, she has declined to confirm whether Ashton remains her designated primary residence. If it does, the council tax bill for her grace-and-favour Admiralty House flat would double from £2,034 to £4,068 under second home rules. Her new Brighton property, classified as Band D, carries a basic charge of £2,455 for two people or £1,841 for single occupancy – which would also double to £4,910 or £3,682 respectively if classified as a second home.
It is understood that the administration of council tax for Admiralty House is handled by the Cabinet Office and Westminster Council, as has been the case for successive governments. However, the lack of transparency about which property Rayner considers her main residence has fuelled opposition criticism.
Seaside Retreat Spotted
Last week, the Deputy Prime Minister was photographed enjoying a large glass of rosé on Hove beach, wrapped in a pink and camouflage Dryrobe. Neighbours report that Rayner purchased the three-bedroom flat in May for use as a holiday home and have spotted her strolling around the area with her on-off partner, Sam Tarry.
The property is located on the second floor of an elegant Victorian terrace leading down to the beach. It comprises two flats converted into one, featuring its own balcony and sash windows offering sweeping sea views.
“Everybody knows Angela has moved into our block,” one resident told reporters. “I’ve seen her recently and she was sipping a coffee while leaving the building with her entourage. She’s got the biggest and nicest flat in the block and appears to be using it as a holiday home for short breaks because she’s not there very often.”
Another neighbour added: “She has her own security team but they don’t make a big fuss and you wouldn’t notice them. She’s only at the flat on the odd weekend and most of the time doesn’t appear to stay for very long.”
Two Homes Rayner Returns
The latest property purchase revives memories of last year’s controversy when The Mail on Sunday revealed Rayner had shuttled between two right-to-buy council properties early in her marriage. It was claimed she rented out her house while living in her then-husband’s property, earning her the nickname “Two Homes Rayner.”
Rayner’s property journey began when she bought her former council house in Stockport with a 25 per cent discount in 2007, selling it for a £48,500 profit in 2015. She faced a police investigation after reports that she remained on the electoral roll at this property for five years after marrying Mark Rayner in 2010, whilst he was listed at another former council house a mile away.
Wider Tax Implications
The controversy coincides with moves by Chancellor Rachel Reeves to introduce new property taxes in the autumn Budget as part of the Treasury’s desperate effort to balance the books. Rayner is reportedly considering plans to increase council tax bills in affluent areas by £380 per year to divert funds to deprived parts of the country.
This “progressive” redistribution of local council funding could lead to council tax rises of over 25% in parts of London and the south east, according to analysis by Target Group, a business process firm. Eight London boroughs including Camden, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Wandsworth face significant shortfalls under the government’s Fairer Funding Review.
Partner’s Brighton Connection
Rayner made her relationship with Sam Tarry official in March by declaring him as her partner in the Register of Ministers’ Interests. Tarry, a former adviser to Jeremy Corbyn, was himself at the centre of controversy in 2016 when it was revealed he was working as a councillor in London’s East End despite living with his then-wife in Brighton.
The couple have been spotted together around Brighton’s fashionable Lanes shopping district, with witnesses describing them as appearing “very intimate” despite the presence of bodyguards. In May, Rayner booked two tables at The Bull, a cosy 16th-century inn in the idyllic village of Ditchling, where she reportedly ordered a £23 bavette steak and a £45 bottle of Sancerre.
Security and Transparency Concerns
Last week, it emerged that Rayner had been accused of using national security laws to disguise details about her taxpayer-funded grace-and-favour home. Her officials refused to answer a Parliamentary question about her London residence in Admiralty House “for security and operational reasons.”
However, the Tories discovered through Freedom of Information laws that she enjoys the use of three bedrooms and three bathrooms in the property, which was once home to Winston Churchill and was where another Labour Deputy PM, John “Two Jags” Prescott, conducted secret assignations with his lover Tracey Temple.
Labour’s Defence
A source close to Ms Rayner defended the property purchases, stating: “Angela’s work means that she’s often had to be in and around London for over a decade now, but had always rented a flat for that purpose.”
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has declined to investigate the impact of the second home council tax raid on local economies, housing markets or tourism. Jim McMahon, Labour minister for local government, said it was up to individual councils to decide if the 100% premium was “effective” and that the Government would not be conducting any research into its effects.
As Rayner settles into her new seaside retreat, the questions about her property empire and council tax arrangements show no signs of going away, with opposition parties continuing to press for transparency from the minister responsible for the nation’s housing policy.
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Image Credit (Shortened):
Deputy PM Angela Rayner chairs the first Make Work Pay meeting (14 Aug 2024) – by Simon Walker / Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, licensed under OGL v3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
