Allies of Angela Rayner have jumped to defend her purchase of a £700,000 luxury seafront home amid accusations of hypocrisy.
The property in Hove is now her third alongside a constituency home in Ashton-under-Lyne and a grace-and-favour ministerial apartment in Westminster.
However, sources close to the Deputy Prime Minister have claimed she needed the three-bedroom flat to act as a base while she works in London over 50 miles away.
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Her allies have also said she was paying the correct amount of council tax on the apartment, which is believed to be empty for more than half of the year as she will not be renting it out.
Following the news of Ms Rayner's new flat emerging, the Conservatives have accused the Deputy Prime Minister of hypocrisy, given the Government's crackdown on second properties.
Shadow Foreign Secretary, Dame Priti Patel, said: "One rule for this condescending hypocritical Labour minister, and a totally different set of rules for the hard-pressed taxpaying silent majority in Britain."
Earlier this year, the Government introduced the ability for councils to charge double the amount of council tax on second homes.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
|Allies of Angela Rayner have had to defend her purchase of a £700,000 luxury seafront home amid accusations of hypocrisy
A source close to Ms Rayner, who is also the Housing Secretary, confirmed her new property was liable to the premium, meaning it will cost a total of around £5,000 a year.
However, it is not known if Ms Rayner receives a single person council tax discount for the property, which would reduce the bill to £3,682.
Since buying the flat in May with a mortgage, the Deputy PM has been since in the area with her partner Sam Tarry.
This weekend, she was pictured drinking on the beach and then vaping in an inflatable dinghy in the sea.
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GETTY
|Alongside the apartment in Hove, and her constituency building, Ms Rayner uses an apartment in Admiralty House
However, residents of the area have suggested she is not regularly around.
Wishing to remain anonymous, one neighbour said: "She has been there some time - a few months. I haven't seen her here personally.
"I haven't seen her anywhere. She is probably too busy isn't she."
After the revelations regarding her new Hove apartment, the Tories demanded answers about her property portfolio.
Now, Ms Rayner's allies have clarified that her principle home was in Ashton-Under Lyne, and her Hove apartment is liable for the second homes premium.
For her official duties, she also uses a grace-and-favour flat in Admiralty House in central London.
A source close to the Deputy Prime Minister claimed the multiple properties were due to her work schedule spanning multiple locations across England.
But, members of the opposition have raised questions about if the Hove apartment is close enough to London to be considered linked to her working life at Parliament.
Conservative Party Chairman, Kevin Hollinrake, said: "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.
"Hove isn't Westminster. This explanation is spin, not honesty."
A handful of councils have started to implement the second homes premium as Labour has supported plans to reduce the number of second homes across the country.
When plans for the premium in Brighton & Hove were announced last year, Labour council leader Bella Sankey said: "In a city with immense housing challenges, incentives to bring homes back into use for local residents is something I strongly welcome."
Labour MP Catherine Atkinson told GB News: "What is important is that we are building 1.5 million homes that this country needs and that this Government is taking clear steps to do.
"I'm not really sure that Angela Rayner's housing situation is particularly relevant to that."