Labour sources have hit back at shadow housing secretary James Cleverly after he criticised deputy prime minister Angela Rayner over her council tax arrangements on a recently purchased seaside flat in Hove, East Sussex. The property, bought for over £700,000, is subject to a 100% council tax premium on second homes introduced in April, which Rayner now pays in full.
Cleverly accused Rayner of hypocrisy, pointing to her role in pushing through the tax rules and demanding clarity on whether she had been paying the premium and whether she claimed a single-person discount on her Admiralty House flat, which came with her ministerial position. A Labour source dismissed the criticism as political opportunism, noting Cleverly's own record as a landlord. 'James Cleverly has some brass neck,' the source said. 'Unlike him, Angela has never been a landlord or owned a property in London.'
The source added that the second homes premium was introduced by the Tory government while Cleverly was home secretary, and he supported it at every stage. A source close to Rayner said her housing arrangements reflected her job demands, not tax avoidance, and that she had ended the lease on her privately rented London flat months ago.
Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden also weighed in, telling LBC there were 'questions around hypocrisy' regarding Rayner's tax measures. However, some of Rayner's allies noted that Holden voted for the measures allowing councils to double tax on second homes under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act, introduced by the Conservatives last year.
A Labour spokesperson defended the policy, stating: 'We said we would introduce new powers for local communities and we have. We are not in the business of restricting people's ability to own property, but we're clear that rights come with responsibilities.'
