Education secretary defends her cabinet colleague against claims she avoided stamp duty when buying property
Bridget Phillipson has defended her cabinet colleague Angela Rayner over accusations the deputy prime minister avoided tax when buying a seaside property in East Sussex.
The education secretary said Rayner had the right to buy the £800,000 flat in Hove “so long as she followed all the rules”, after reports Rayner had avoided £40,000 in stamp duty by listing it as the only property she owns.
Conservatives have accused Rayner, who is also the housing secretary, of hypocrisy given she has also listed her Greater Manchester home as her primary residence, in a move that allowed her to avoid £2,000 in council tax on her government-owned flat in central London.
Phillipson told Times Radio on Sunday: “Angela Rayner has been clear that she followed all the rules and requirements of her, that she has followed the rules completely.
