Conveyancer said it calculated stamp duty using HMRC’s own online calculator

The conveyancer used by Angela Rayner to buy the flat in Hove which she admitted to underpaying stamp duty on has denied it gave her legal advice on tax.

According to reports, a statement by Verrico & Associates, based in Herne Bay, Kent, confirmed that it advised her on the purchase of the flat and “did everything correctly and in good faith”.

In the statement, Joanna Verrico, managing director said: “We acted for Ms Rayner when she purchased the flat in Hove. We did not and never have given tax or trust advice. It’s something we always refer our clients to an accountant or tax expert for.

“The stamp duty for the Hove flat was calculated using HMRC’s own online calculator based on the figures and the information provided by Ms Rayner.

“That’s what we used and it told us we had to pay £30,000 based on the information provided to us. We believe that we did everything correctly and in good faith. Everything was exactly as it should be.

“We probably are being made scapegoats for all this and I have got the arrows stuck in my back to show it. We are not an inexperienced firm, but we’re not qualified to give advice on trust and tax matters and we advise clients to seek expert advice on these.”

Rebecca Whittaker4 September 2025 19:20

MP says ‘Hove is better than this’ following vandalism on Rayners flat

MP for Hove and Portslade, Peter Kyle has said he is “disappointed” the heritage wall in Hove has been defaced, after vandals target Angela Rayners home.

The Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary, said: “I’m really disappointed that the heritage wall has been defaced over this issue. Hove is better than this.

“There are many, many ways people can express their anger and disappointment in Angela Rayner, including reporting her to the Commissioner for Standards. But defacing a wall is not one of those ways.”

(PA)

Rebecca Whittaker4 September 2025 19:00

Prime minister has condemned graffiti outside Rayners home

Sir Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner have condemned graffiti outside the Deputy Prime Minister’s seaside flat in Hove.

The word “bitch” along with a much larger sign saying “tax evader!” have been pictured on a white wall on the outside of the home, after Ms Rayner admitted underpaying stamp duty on the property.

Ms Rayner’s spokesperson has called the vandalism “totally unjustifiable and beyond the pale” and said it is a matter for the police.

Across the road from her seafront flat, “Tax evader Rayner” and “Rayner tax avoidance” have been graffitied on construction chipboard.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “Some of you may have seen the photos of the vandalism of the Deputy Prime Minister’s home this morning.

“The Prime Minister condemns this vandalism in the strongest possible terms.

“Whatever scrutiny our parliamentarians may face, it is appalling that their private homes should be targeted in this way.”

Rebecca Whittaker4 September 2025 18:45

Angela Rayner’s lawyers claim they have been made ‘scapegoats’

A conveyancing firm that handled the purchase of Angela Rayners flat in Hove, have said they have been made “scapegoats” and did not give her tax advice.

It comes as Ms Rayner referred herself to the ministerial ethics adviser on Wednesday after admitting, following days of silence, that she had wrongly listed her Hove flat as her primary residence, earning a tax break reportedly worth up to £40,000.

The deputy prime minister – who is also housing secretary – said in a statement that she had received legal advice which told her she did not need to pay a higher rate of tax on the property.

The claim has come from conveyancing firm Verrico & Associates.

Joanna Verrico, the managing director of the firm, told The Telegraph: “We acted for Ms Rayner when she purchased the flat in Hove. We did not and never have given tax or trust advice. It’s something we always refer our clients to an accountant or tax expert for.”

Sources close to Ms Rayner had said she received legal advice from a conveyancer and two experts in trust law on the amount of stamp duty paid – but none have named.

There is no suggestion that Verrico & Associates was the conveyancer firm that gave the tax advice on the flat purchase.

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