Angela Rayner’s lawyers have claimed they did not give her tax advice amid the row over her new flat, according to reports. The Deputy Prime Minister has admitted she did not pay enough stamp duty on a flat she bought in Hove this year but blamed “legal advice that I received”.
Verrico & Associates told The Telegraph: “We acted for Ms Rayner when she purchased the flat in Hove. We did not and never have given tax or trust advice. It’s something we always refer our clients to an accountant or tax expert for. The stamp duty for the Hove flat was calculated using HMRC’s own online calculator, based on the figures and the information provided by Ms Rayner.
“That’s what we used, and it told us we had to pay £30,000 based on the information provided to us. We believe that we did everything correctly and in good faith. Everything was exactly as it should be.
“We probably are being made scapegoats for all this, and I have got the arrows stuck in my back to show it. We are not an inexperienced firm, but we’re not qualified to give advice on trust and tax matters and we advise clients to seek expert advice on these.”
It comes as Ms Rayner, who is also the Housing Secretary, is facing an investigation into whether she broke the ministerial code after she admitted to underpaying stamp duty on a flat bought in Hove earlier this year.
She has been under mounting pressure in recent weeks after reports emerged she had saved £40,000 in stamp duty on a property purchase in Hove by not paying the higher rate reserved for additional home purchases.
She referred herself to independent adviser Sir Laurie and said she made a “mistake” in paying the standard rate, based on legal advice she received at the time.
Sir Keir Starmer earlier declined to say if he will sack her if the probe finds that she broke the rules.
The Prime Minister said “of course” he will act on the findings of his independent standards adviser.
But he would not be drawn on whether he would fire his deputy if Sir Laurie Magnus finds that a breach of ministerial rules took place.
In an interview with the BBC, he said: “There’s a clear procedure. I strengthened that procedure. I am expecting a result pretty quickly.
“I do want it to be comprehensive… and then of course I will act on whatever the report is that’s put in front of me.”