Watch moment GB News hosts lock horns in tense Angela Rayner tax row: ‘Hang on!’

Andrew, on the other hand, took a less sympathetic view and said Ms Rayner was guilty of “ignorance of the law,” something he argued was unacceptable for a Housing Minister.

The Deputy Prime Minister is facing calls to resign as she undergoes an ethics investigation after admitting she underpaid stamp duty on her seaside home.

“The Deputy Prime Minister, who is also Housing Secretary, admitted she hadn’t paid the right stamp duty on the luxury home she bought in Hove,” Andrew said.

“We know, because there were leaks against her, that she designated it as her primary residence, which meant she did not have to pay the extra £40,000 in stamp duty.”

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Miriam argued: “If you say it like that, it makes it sound like she deliberately tried to make the Hove property her primary residence in order to avoid tax, but I don’t think it’s that simple.

“The issue surrounds whether she owns the home in Ashton-under-Lyne in her constituency. Any ordinary person would think she doesn’t. She has no mortgage on it and she’s not on the deeds.

“If the beneficiary of the trust who owns it—in her case her son, who is under 18—exists, then you as an adult parent are counted as having an interest in it. Therefore, it is treated as your home, and it becomes a second property under stamp duty tax law.

“There are accountants and lawyers coming out today saying they didn’t even understand that loophole.”

Andrew raised the fact Ms Rayner also has a grace-and-favour property in London, prompting Miriam to interject.

Andrew hit back, saying “hang on” before arguing: “It always looked odd to say a house in Sussex, 260 miles from your constituency, is your principal residence.”

He added: “She knew by doing that she would save herself tens of thousands of pounds in stamp duty.”

“I don’t think she knew that at all,” Miriam countered.

“This is what it all hinges on. Her lawyer said she was only eligible for the lower rate of stamp duty because she no longer owned the first home.”

Andrew said the Deputy Prime Minister should have published the advice she received from her lawyer, which Miriam said was not possible owing to a court injunction.

Angela Rayner admits wrongdoing over tax affairs - WATCH

He then cited Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former Tory Cabinet Minister, who argued Ms Rayner could have addressed Parliament at any time “under the cloak of parliamentary privilege.”

“You know, as an MP, you can say anything you want in Parliament,” Andrew said.

“Would you do that if you had a court order in place to protect your own child?” Miriam asked.

Andrew pushed back: “We knew on Monday she had not paid the right amount of tax. Why didn’t she make a statement then?”

His co-host replied: “On Monday, she found out she might not have paid the right amount of tax. On Tuesday, she applied to have the court order lifted, and then on Wednesday, she gave the interview.

“If you believe her order of events, then what has she done that is unreasonable? She trusted her tax adviser, as we all do, and the tax adviser made a mistake.”

“I’m not sure ignorance of the law is a good defence,” Andrew said.

“She is not just Deputy Prime Minister, she is Secretary of State for Housing. Do you not think a permanent secretary or a lawyer wouldn’t say, ‘Minister, are you sure about this?’ Was she transparent enough about this?”

In a detailed personal statement, Ms Rayner explained that she had originally relied on legal advice when determining the property’s tax status.

She has since referred herself to the Prime Minister’s ethics adviser and contacted HMRC to arrange payment of the outstanding amount.

Speaking to Sky News, Rayner revealed she had considered resigning over the matter and expressed regret about the error, attributing it to inadequate advice she received at the time of purchase.