
When financial scandals erupted over her Conservative rivals, Angela Rayner was the Labour Party’s main attacker, accusing them of corruption and demanding their resignation. Her political mantra was that honesty was the most important value and the only way to restore public trust.
But when it was discovered that Rayner had not paid her stamp duty as housing minister, it turned into a scandal that severely damaged her political image. Last week, she said she had “acted completely in line with all the rules”, recalling another property scandal from 18 months earlier. She was at the centre of controversy over the sale of her Stockport home and her living circumstances during the 2010s. Rayner was found not guilty, but did not explain why she was mainly living in her Vicarage Road home when she sold it in March 2015, while her then-husband lived a few miles away. Neighbours claimed she had rented her house to her brother while living with her family. After a six-week police investigation, Rayner was also cleared by the tax authority, which confirmed that Vicarage Road was her main residence, but refused to release HMRC's official opinion.
Carole Barlow, a resident who has lived there since 2011, said she had “hardly ever seen Rayner there” and called it irresponsible for her to get embroiled in a housing scandal again. She added: “It’s arrogant to think you’re going to get away with it again after all the fuss you’ve made before. It’s only been a short while.” Rayner’s supporters blamed the media and the Conservatives for stoking the scandal, accusing them of snobbery and fear of her influence on working-class voters. Her story is extraordinary: she grew up on a council estate with a bipolar mother, left school without a degree and became a mother at 16 — then became a prominent figure in the Labour Party and deputy prime minister. Rayner has said she was troubled by the attention on her family life, with three children. Her eldest son, Ryan, who has a disability, experienced panic attacks and was often escorted by police to school because of online attacks on her. In an interview with Sky News, she said: “All I’ve done is try to support my family and help them.”
Rayner brought her disabled son into the interview, explaining that the tax evasion on a new flat in Hove was linked to a trust for his care. She has spoken emotionally about his treatment in neonatal intensive care, where he weighed just 450g and spent six months. She has previously posted pictures of him on social media to show his progress.
Politically, Rayner has always been in the spotlight. After the council housing scandal, she was embroiled in other controversies over lavish gifts and hospitality. For example, she visited Lord Alli's penthouse in New York with her partner Sam Tarry, while insisting she had followed the rules and paid for the holiday herself. Her gift registry also included free music festival tickets and luxury clothing, all of which were declared.
Rayner told the BBC she understood people's frustration, but stressed that the gifts "have been part of our politics for a long time" and transparency is key. A resident of her childhood neighbourhood said: "She was once one of us — now she's decided to abandon her roots. I was a Labour voter, but now they're all the same. We need a whole new direction."