UK Deputy PM Angela Rayner Resigns Over Property Tax Scandal, Rocking Starmer’s Government
Story: written by springnewsng September 5,2025
Angela Rayner, the United Kingdom’s Deputy Prime Minister, has stepped down following revelations that she underpaid property tax on a new home. Her resignation on Friday marks the most damaging departure yet for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration.
Rayner, 45, becomes the eighth minister to leave Starmer’s cabinet, but her exit is seen as the most consequential, given her senior role and wide appeal across Labour’s factions. Initially, the Prime Minister had offered her his full support after allegations surfaced that she deliberately avoided paying the correct tax rate.
With Labour now trailing the populist Reform UK party in recent opinion polls, Rayner’s resignation adds to Starmer’s mounting challenges in restoring public confidence and party unity.
A working-class politician who rose from being a teenage mother to the second-highest office in the UK, Rayner was often credited with keeping Labour’s left and centrist blocs together. She was also considered a possible future successor to Starmer.
The controversy began when she admitted selling her share of a family home in northern England to a trust established for her disabled son, using the proceeds to purchase an apartment in Hove. Believing it was her primary residence, she did not pay the higher tax rate charged on second homes.
However, after further legal advice, Rayner acknowledged her mistake and confirmed she was making arrangements to pay the outstanding tax. In an emotional interview, she said her intention had never been to deceive the public.
Starmer described her resignation as “sad,” while opposition leader Kemi Badenoch seized on the scandal, accusing the government of being in crisis and losing credibility with voters.
