Hypocrisy of senior politicians

[Pandersmum]

Now accepting herself that she did not pay enough stamp duty on her new property, does Angela Raynor really think she can just carry on as before?

😭😭 yes she does

Yep, even though everyone knows she's full of shit.

Already a lengthy thread from today:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5403846-angela-rayner-tax-fail

FWIW, if she can demonstrate that she relied on erroneous legal advice, then I don't think she can reasonably be faulted.

Morally corrupt?

At the moment, she is of the opinion she can carry on regardless. Surely though, she would not want the label of 'hypocrite of the highest order' slapped on her back - because she needs to ask herself what she would be demanding had this same story been told by a Tory.

Exactly. She does think that she can carry on and she most likely will continue as if she did nothing wrong. Because this is what many of politicians have done in the past.

She followed the advice of three lawyers - what would you have done in those circumstances?

It would be interesting to see what information she gave to those lawyers (although I suspect it will be covered up) because whilst a bit more complicated than the average house purchase, the trust thing is pretty straightforward for a specialist. I wonder if she omitted to inform them of the other house. You know, the one that belongs to her son and she just lives there for half the time. Dodgy as fuck and a massive hypocrite.

"Tax avoidance costs lives". Angela Rayner

How did 3 lawyers miss something a untrained journalist could find?

I feel a bit sorry for her actually.

Her very disabled son (legally blind), they have an adapted home for him, divorced husband so ‘nesting’ to ensure child can stay in that home.

That means both need somewhere else to live too, so another property required regardless.

I think she was possibly looking out for what was best for the long term security of her son, vs just trying to dodge the tax.

And I say that acknowledging if it was a Tory doing it she’d be tearing them apart.

Shows the issues with stamp duty - and how complex it is to understand and apply.

I had a bit of a complicated stamp duty issue when buying a property, and we couldn’t find a lawyer willing to give us a straight answer.

The legislation is quite vague really.

Probably wouldn’t have used my position as trustee of a trust fund set up for my son, just before he turns 18 - to ‘sell’ my share of a home to the trust - to then buy a flat 200 miles away from my children, with my new man who has left his pregnant wife and children. Then not pay the tax due. Until she proves she received legal advice - I don’t believe she did.

I really don't like the woman. However rules around deemed ownerships and trusts are quite complex, so i accept that she could have made a genuine mistake. However, whilst I appreciate that she's an extremely busy woman and mother to a disabled child, she had unique access to senior civil servants in HMRC and the Parliamentary Committee. The fact that she's in the role that she is with responsibilities for housing and making tax decisions, I feel as though she should have received in house advice. That she didn't shows a lack of due diligence that and is concerning. She has to be held to the highest of standards. For those reasons I think that, unless exceptional circumstances exist and she provided full and accurate information to three different law firms and all three gave incorrect advice, she should resign her position.

"If you want morality, talk to a bishop not a politician." - Harold Macmillan.

Well, as Deputy Prime Minister in charge of housing and making tax decisions, I would have expected her to receive advice from senior civil servants in HMRC and the parliamentary committee. She was in a unique position to do so.

And then ignore the bishop too!