Angela Rayner tax fail

[Iwishicouldflyhigh]

But it’s ok because she was just badly advised.
I’ll remember that excuse next time I fill in my tax return.

But still confused about one can have 2 main homes?

That’s a great Freudian slip 😂 I believe he loved in his constituency and many other places 😂

Good for her!

It's not sleazy if she didn't know that being a trustee of the trust made her co-owner of the Ashton House as the beneficiary of the trust is under 18. It comes back to her judgement being poor. It would only be sleaze if she did understand that but chose to say she didn't own any other property in order to avoid paying zn additional £40,000 in SDLT.

I was wrong. They’ve come out fighting…

”Joanna Verrico, managing director, 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”

She has tried, but it either underlines her arrogance or stupidity to think a firm solicitors, be it Shoosmiths or a high street conveyancer, wouldn’t have crystal clear records of what they have done and for whom. And a solid paper trail. And also the skills, resources and motivation to set the record straight pretty quickly.

Yep that’s the incredible part. Two firms now have had to release statements due to Rayner’s lie.

And why choose a firm in Kent? Is it so that she can do things under the radar

It's certainly odd. And not just Kent, but in a tiny seaside town (well, the bit they're in is more like a village on the edge of the town). She doesn't have any connections here as far as I am aware - and I'm sure the local FB page would have mentioned something before now if anyone knew.

Surely, she's a goner for that alone...

I absolutely don't blame them either as their reputations are at stake through no fault of their own it would now seem.

This just seems to get murkier by the minute. AR throwing anybody under the bus to save her skin. It's really rather unpleasant indeed.

The confusion is your use of the plural ; women.

AR is just one person so “woman”

Cost? £1,800 for the legals on what I assume is a leasehold property with joint ownership in BN3 costing £800k is cheap…

Hardly surprising tbh. Thought she got away with, now crocodile tears. Roll on the next GE

You are being generous with 'love'. 'Shag' would be a better fit 😁

Yes, that’s fair 😂

Herne Bay. My knowledge of Kent is hazy.

Verrico are not solicitors but conveyancers. HMRC now have more evidence of her treating given her tax affairs carelessly.

FWIW I'm another who's surrprised they've spoken out so soon, but remembering that any investigation will be funded by the government - and that so far Keir appears keen to back her - perhaps they didn't trust the objectivity?

The idea either practice gave bad advice is so poor I just don’t think they can sit and wait.

Surely she cannot last much longer? Unless she falls back on her working class background and says she didn’t really understand what she was doing and genuinely thought that she didn’t need to declare interest in another property

You're probably right, EasternStandard, and it's not as if they've said anything contentious - though Rayner may well think so

Trouble is, they may have denied giving trust advice, but what's to stop her claiming they did indeed offer verbal advice on this in a continued attempt to dodge responsibility?

Either way I expect they were well chuffed to be asked to act for the deputy prime minister, but wonder if it all looks quite so appealing now

She’s cooked either way then. If Keir was incapacitated she’d be acting PM. She can’t admit she didn’t know what was doing cos she’s from a council estate 😂

I don’t think that would fly. All advice would be traceable.

I can’t believe she issued that three people advice thing. Plus the blaming others for their advice.

It’s those lies that should see her out.

If there’s no paper trail and the investigation is going to take her word for it, and she stays then we’ve no integrity left in politics and Labour have laid the red carpet out for Farage.

Well yes, exactly. And having set up my own ltd company a couple of years ago, having never had to know anything about tax etc before, I went on a very steep learning curve, and I would have sympathy with anyone not knowing enough to ask the right questions. Well almost anyone, but not someone holding one of the highest offices in government. If they’re that clueless surely they are not fit for office.

All advice would be traceable

In theory yes, @EasternStandard, but a politician lying in an attempt to save their own skin would hardly be anything new

If there’s no paper trail and the investigation is going to take her word for it, and she stays then we’ve no integrity left in politics and Labour have laid the red carpet out for Farage

Agree with this too, @Thyra123, except that I'm surprised you feel there's any integrity left to lose
I'd have thought 14 years of the Tories would have taught us that, and if anyone honestly expected Labour to be any better ... well, I just don't have the words