Angela Rayner’s lawyers insist they did not give tax advice blamed for stamp-duty scandal
Lawyers at centre of Rayner tax scandal say, ‘We’re being made scapegoats’
- Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, is under scrutiny for an unpaid stamp duty bill of around £40,000 on her Hove flat, which she admitted wrongly listing as her primary residence.
- Her conveyancing firm, Verrico & Associates, denies providing tax advice on the purchase, stating they used HMRC's online calculator based on information supplied by Ms Rayner.
- Joanna Verrico, the firm's managing director, claimed they are being 'scapegoated' and are not qualified to advise on tax or trust matters.
- Ms Rayner has referred herself to the ministerial ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, whose investigation into the matter is expected to influence her political future.
- Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has stated he will 'act on' the conclusions of the independent investigation once it is complete.