Angela Rayner has been slammed by neighbours in her Greater Manchester constituency, as they accused her of abandoning her home town in favour of London and Brighton. The Deputy Prime Minister came under fire over the weekend as it emerged she had splashed out on an £800,000 seaside apartment, in addition to her existing £650,000 home in Ashton-under-Lyne, and a grace-and-favour flat on Whitehall.
Amid accusations of hypocrisy from opposition parties, Ms Rayner is now facing backlash from her neighbours in Ashton, as they claim she has abandoned them and she is not seen there any more. James Lee, 82, said he has been holding out to speak to the top Labour politician about an ongoing row regarding some of her garden trees. Mr Lee complained that while Ms Rayner assured him the trees were “safe”, they are so tall that they block all light into his own property until well into the afternoon.
He accused the deputy Prime Minister of “running away from her responsibilities”, adding: “She’s never here.”
Another neighbour living opposite Ms Rayner told the Mail: “I can’t remember the last time I saw her.
“I know she’s in London a lot but to have another new home in Hove is a long way from her roots and the people who elect her.”
The Ashton-under-Lyne house is declared as Ms Rayner’s main residence, meaning she’ll pay double-council tax on her new property in Hove.
Meanwhile The Telegraph today reveals that the council tax bill for her government lodgings in Admiralty House are being picked up by taxpayers, and could be set to double under Labour tax plans.
Neighbour James Less added “I wouldn’t have thought so” when asked if the deputy Prime Minister could effectively represent her north west constituency while spending so much time in London and Brighton.
“To do that job, you’ve got to be here. It does disappoint me as a constituent.”
A source close to Ms Rayner said: “Angela’s been proudly representing her constituents at Westminster for more than a decade.
“Her role as Deputy Prime Minister means she has to be in and near London more regularly for work, but she’s at home in Ashton-under-Lyne often and makes no secret of the fact she loves her garden.”
Yesterday comments emerged from Ms Rayner’s deputy at the Department for Housing, Matthew Pennycook, railing against the wealthy buying up multiple properties during a housing crisis.
He condemned the “negative impacts of excessive concentrations of short-term lets and second homes.”
Reform UK’s Richard Tice said: “Rayner is the Everest of hypocrisy. She laments a housing shortage, wants to soak the rich, whilst selfishly building her own property mountain.”
