Labour sources have accused shadow housing secretary James Cleverly of having 'some brass neck' for criticising deputy prime minister Angela Rayner over her council tax arrangements on a new seaside flat. Rayner purchased the property in Hove, East Sussex, for over £700,000 and is paying the full 100% council tax premium on second homes introduced in April.
The Tories, including Cleverly, have accused Rayner of hypocrisy, noting her role in pushing through the tax rules. They have demanded clarity on whether she paid the premium and whether she claimed a single-person discount on her Admiralty House flat, which came with her ministerial role. Cleverly said: 'She has admitted to paying the premium on her flat but she refuses to say whether she has been paying the second-homes premium on Admiralty House since it came into force in April.'
A Labour source dismissed the criticism as political opportunism, pointing to Cleverly's own record as a landlord. 'Unlike him, Angela has never been a landlord or owned a property in London,' the source said. 'The second homes premium was introduced by the Tory government while James Cleverly was home secretary, and he supported it at every stage. Angela takes her council tax obligations seriously and she meets them in full.'
A source close to Rayner said her housing arrangements reflected job demands, not tax avoidance, noting that she had ended the lease on her privately rented London flat months ago. Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden also attacked Rayner, but Labour allies noted he voted for the measures allowing councils to double tax on second homes under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act.
A Labour spokesperson defended the policy, saying: 'We said we would introduce new powers for local communities and we have... We are not in the business of restricting people's ability to own property, but we're clear that rights come with responsibilities.'
