Angela Rayner saved £40,000 in stamp duty on her new seaside flat as she told tax authorities it was her main home.
The Deputy Prime Minister is believed to have removed her name from the deeds of her house in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, a few weeks before buying an £800,000 seaside flat in Hove, East Sussex.
Disclosed by The Telegraph, the changes meant Ms Rayner would avoid paying £70,000 in stamp duty, which would have been applicable if the property in Hove was her second home.
Ms Rayner is thought to have paid £30,000 in stamp duty, saving her £40,000 in the process.
However, she also told Tameside Council in Manchester that her constituency house remains her primary residence and informed Brighton and Hove Council that her apartment there was a second home for council tax purposes.
While the changes are legal, the arrangement will raise questions over whether she has deliberately conducted her property affairs to pay less stamp duty and council tax.
An additional payment on stamp duty for second home owners was introduced by the previous Conservative Government in 2016.
Last October, Chancellor Rachel Reeves increased stamp duty in a bid to target the wealthy and boost revenue for the Treasury.
The Tories yesterday evening initiated a legal process to have Ms Rayner removed off the electoral roll in Ashton-under-Lyne on the basis that she does not "meet the legal tests for living there".
They claim that the electoral registrations are unlawful based on election law and case law.
While MPs and students are allowed to have two residences, the party says there is no precedent for someone to have three if they do not actually live at the third.
A spokesman for Ms Rayner said: "The Deputy Prime Minister paid the correct duty owed on the purchase, entirely properly and in line with all relevant requirements. Any suggestion otherwise is entirely without basis."
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Labour MSP Colin Smyth 'put secret camera in Scottish Parliament toilets'
A Labour MSP has been charged with placing a secret camera in the toilets of the Scottish Parliament Building.
It was revealed earlier this month that the Scottish Labour MSP Colin Smyth was arrested and charged with the possession of indecent images.
He was arrested at his home in Dumfries on August 5, with his phone and computer being searched.
The Daily Record reported that he has been charged over allegations that he placed a camera in a toilet at the Scottish Parliament building.
Ellie Costello confronts Tory MP with damning poll as party suffers major slump
Ellie Costello challenged Conservative MP Matt Vickers with devastating polling data that places his party in fifth place among UK voters.
During their exchange, Miss Costello cited figures showing Reform UK leading with 34 per cent support, whilst the Conservatives languished at just 21 per cent.
Recent polling data reveals a major shift in the political landscape, with YouGov's latest survey placing Reform UK at 28 per cent support amongst voters.
Labour has plummeted to just 20 per cent, marking the party's weakest performance since 2019, before Sir Keir Starmer assumed leadership.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW ABOVE AND READ THE FULL STORY HERE
New Scottish Green leadership team to be announced
New Scottish Green leadership team to be announced
|PA
The Scottish Greens are set to announce the result of their leadership election.
Current co-leader Lorna Slater, MSPs Gillian Mackay and Ross Greer and activist Dominic Ashmole are seeking to form the new co-leadership team, with the result to be announced at an event in Edinburgh.
Co-leader Patrick Harvie, who has been one of the party's leaders since 2008, announced earlier this year that he would step down from the role but continue to be an MSP.
The Green Party of England and Wales is also holding its own leadership election, with polls due to close on Saturday.
Labour MP Stephen Kinnock calls for injunction on Epping Hotel to avoid a 'disorderly discharge of asylum seekers'
Labour MP Stephen Kinnock has called for an injunction on The Bell Hotel in Epping to avoid a "disorderly discharge of asylum seekers".
Mr Kinnock blamed the "mess" Labour inherited from the Conservatives for the situation they found themselves in.
Speaking to GB News, he said: "I am deeply, deeply frustrated, and the Government is by the use of these hotels being used by these asylum seekers - that is not what these hotels are for.
"Unfortunately, they are because of the mess we inherited from the previous Government, and we are taking action to deal with it.
"If we end up with a disorderly discharge of asylum seekers from these hotels, it will just make the situation even worse - we have to manage that discharge
"As we said in our manifesto, we will end the use of these hotels for asylum seekers."
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW ABOVE
Tories beat Reform by only 5 VOTES in council by election
Miss Couch (third from the left) won the election by just five votes
|The Tories scraped to victory in a Broxtowe Borough Council by-election, winning by a mere five votes.
Judy Couch won the Nuthall East and Strelley seat with 405 votes, while Reform UK candidate Neil Isted received 400 votes.
Miss Couch said it was a "nail-biting" result after a recount, which confirmed the win.
The full results were:
- Judy Couch (Conservatives) - 405
- Neil Isted (Reform UK) - 400
- Graham Lambert (Broxtowe Alliance) - 275
- Domenica Lopinto (Labour Party) - 244
- Rachel Gravett (Green Party) - 70
- Tyrone Gall (Independent) - 21
Turnout for the election was 35 per cent
'It is literally Labour against the British people': Shadow Home Office Minister Matt Vickers calls for the closure of The Bell Hotel in Epping
Shadow Home Office Minister Matt Vickers said The Epping Hotel case is "literally the Labour Government against the British people".
Speaking to GB News, Mr Vickers called for the closure of the hotel and put an end to the "atrocious situation".
He said: "Those protesters are right. The Conservative Councils that brought this case forward and got that injunction are right.
"The Government is saying that the people who broke into this country should come before the law-abiding citizens in those areas.
"That community is terrified, people are afraid for their women and children going around in their own communities. The place needs closing."
WATCH THE FULL DISCUSSION WITH MR VICKERS ABOVE
Nigel Farage pledges support for the people of Essex ahead of Epping hotel decision
Nigel Farage pledges support for the people of Essex ahead of Epping hotel decision
| PAHead of Reform UK Nigel Farage has pledged his support for the people of Essex ahead of three judges' ruling today on whether to overturn a temporary injunction, set to block asylum seekers from being housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex.
Mr Farage posted on X: "Illegal migrants have more rights than the people of Essex.
"Reform UK will put an end to this."
Ulez zone could be SUSPENDED with millions owed refunds
London's Ulez zone could be suspended and millions of pounds refunded to motorists if a fresh legal challenge is successful.
Scaffolding business owner Noel Willcox is taking Transport for London (TfL) to court over auto-pay charges based on incorrect signage of the Low Emission Zone (Lez) and Ulez.
He already won a similar case over the Low Emission Zone (Lez) after he was fined £11,500 for driving his truck in the capital.
Former Conservative Mayor of London candidate Susan Hall told GB News: "If Noel's claim is successful, it will be a fantastic victory for him after years of fighting for what is rightfully his.
"What amazes me is that Transport for London carried on charging motorists from October 2021, when the Adjudicator had already ruled the Low Emission Zone signage unlawful, right through until the Ulez expansion in August 2023."
Judges set to rule if The Bell Hotel in Epping will house asylum seekers
Judges set to rule if Epping Hotel will house asylum seekers
| GETTYThree senior judges will rule today on whether to overturn a temporary injunction, which is set to block asylum seekers from being housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex.
The decision is set to be made at 2pm by Lord Justice Bean, sitting with Lady Justice Nicola Davies and Lord Justice Cobb.
Lord Bean said: "Because of the great urgency of this matter, we will aim to give judgment at 2pm tomorrow. If it proves impractical for us to meet the deadline, we will let people know in advance."
Somani Hotels, which owns the Bell Hotel in Epping, and the Home Office are seeking to challenge a High Court ruling that will stop 138 asylum seekers from being housed there beyond September 12.