Angela Rayner has been accused of plotting a "chicken run" to a safe seat amid claims she is "terrified" by the surge in support for Reform UK. Richard Tice, the Reform UK chairman, suggested the Deputy Prime Minister has given herself the option to relocate as opinion polls indicate she could lose her Greater Manchester constituency of Ashton-under-Lyne.
Despite the seat having been held by Labour since 1935, a recent Nowcast poll suggests Reform UK holds a 17-point lead over Ms Rayner. The Deputy Prime Minister has reportedly purchased a seaside flat in Hove & Portslade for almost £800,000, a constituency where Labour's Peter Kyle currently holds a majority of 19,881 votes.
Mr Tice said: "Angela Rayner is so terrified of losing her seat to Reform at the next election, she is buying herself an option to take on the Greens in Brighton. The ultimate plant-based chicken run." Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Mike Wood added: "Angela Rayner needs to come clean on whether she has flipped her homes to line up running in Brighton and Hove in the next election."
The speculation follows an ongoing row over Ms Rayner's housing arrangements. The Tories have referred her to Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister's independent adviser on ministers' interests, over allegations she may have avoided paying capital gains tax on the sale of her Manchester home. It is estimated she saved £40,000 by removing herself from the deeds. Labour sources dismissed the claims, noting that the party's leader has stood in seven different seats.
However, Graham Stringer became the first Labour MP to criticise Ms Rayner publicly, saying it looked as though she was "manipulating the tax system" for her own benefit. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, meanwhile, defended her, arguing the criticism was "just party politics". A spokesman for the Deputy Prime Minister said she had paid the relevant duty on the Hove property purchase "entirely properly".
