Angela Rayner has insisted she will not give back the almost £17,000 she received as a “golden goodbye” payout when she resigned as House Secretary last year despite returning to the job this week. The former Deputy Prime Minister was forced to quit in September after admitting that she failed to pay £40,000 in stamp duty when buying her seaside flat in Hove.
Pressure to resign
Ms Rayner faced pressure to leave her post over the scandal as she was found to have broken the ministerial code, although the breach was not deemed serious enough for her to miss out on the severance package. Asked whether she would return the cash after new Prime Minister Andy Burnham returned her to the House Secretary role, Ms Rayner told BBC Radio 5 Live today: “No, my severance payment was given to me at the time.
“I'd worked in government for a period of time, and then I came out of government for just under a year, I think is the timetable, and I'll be delivering in government again. But on the Conservatives who took their severance, we're talking weeks.”
Conservative criticism
The Conservatives said Ms Rayner had "quit in disgrace and took a £17k payout" last year. The party added: "Now she's got her old job back, will she return the cash? Or is it one rule for Labour, and another for everyone else?"
Ms Rayner's resignation came after the Prime Minister's ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, said she had "acted with integrity" but had breached the ministerial code. Sir Laurie added that while she did get legal advice when buying the property, the minister had failed to seek further expert tax advice as recommended.
Tax affairs resolved
In May, Rayner resolved her tax affairs with HMRC following an investigation. It is understood she settled the £40,000 bill in unpaid stamp duty. The MP for Ashton-under-Lyne insisted she was "exonerated" and had not "deliberately sought to avoid tax". Ms Rayner added: "The situation I went through last year was really difficult, it was difficult for my family, but I felt I'd let people down and I never want to let people down, I want to fight for them."
