Rayner's allies rebuke Cleverly over council tax criticisms

Angela Rayner's allies have hit back at James Cleverly, accusing the shadow housing secretary of having "some brass neck" for criticising the deputy prime minister over her council tax arrangements on a property she bought this year.

- Aletha Adu

Rayner purchased the seaside flat in Hove, Sussex, for more than £700,000. The property is subject to the 100% council tax premium on second homes that was introduced in April, which she now pays in full.

The Tories, including Cleverly, have accused Rayner of hypocrisy, pointing to her role in pushing through those tax rules and demanding clarity over whether she had been paying the premium and whether she claimed a single-person discount on her Admiralty House flat, the property that came with her ministerial position at the beginning of this year.

Cleverly said: "She has admitted to paying the premium on her flat but she refuses to say whether she has been paying the second-homes premium on Admiralty House since it came into force in April."