Overview

• Independent adviser Sir Laurie Magnus ruled that Rayner failed to meet the highest standards after relying on non‑specialist guidance and breaching the ministerial code.
• Rayner acknowledged underpaying Stamp Duty by roughly £40,000–£50,000 by treating a Hove flat as her main residence.
• A legal assessment tied the error to a trust funded by NHS compensation for her disabled son, which left her effectively still an owner of her northern home.
• She resigned her government and party roles but remains an MP, stating she takes full responsibility for the mistake.
• Keir Starmer named David Lammy deputy prime minister and justice secretary, moved Yvette Cooper to foreign secretary and Shabana Mahmood to home secretary, as Reform UK gained short‑term political momentum at its Birmingham conference.