Angela Rayner has been branded a hypocrite for buying a seaside apartment as her own department warns against the impact of second homes.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s Housing Secretary, has earned the nickname ‘Three Pads Rayner’ following reports that she spent £800,000 on a posh apartment in Hove, East Sussex.

According to her neighbors, she purchased the ‘largest and most beautiful flat’ in the Victorian terrace building, which boasts sea views and celebrity residents. She has been seen enjoying a glass of wine on the beach and kayaking in the water.

The Deputy Prime Minister, aged 45, also owns a spacious family home in her constituency in Greater Manchester and has access to a luxurious apartment at Admiralty House in Westminster.

However, one of her junior ministers has frequently criticized the impact of wealthy individuals purchasing additional homes, either for personal use or rental purposes in popular areas, a trend that drives up property prices and makes it hard for local people to buy.

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook has addressed Parliament regarding the ‘negative effects of high concentrations of short-term rentals and second homes,’ which impact ‘community services’ and ‘the access and affordability of housing for local citizens to purchase or rent.’

He has informed MPs that the housing department, which has already empowered local councils to double the council tax on second homes, aims to ‘grant local communities more authority to address these issues.’

Ms Rayner herself has declared that Britain is in ‘the middle of the most acute housing crisis in living memory’, while Sir Keir Starmer has warned that second homes ‘can impact the availability and affordability’ of local properties.

Angela Rayner was branded a hypocrite on Sunday for buying a seaside apartment as her own department warns against the impact of second homes (pictured in Hove on Tuesday last week)

Labour’s Housing Secretary has been dubbed ‘Three Pads Rayner’ after it emerged that she had shelled out £800,000 on a luxury flat in Hove, East Sussex (Pictured)

Ms Rayner bought the three-bedroom flat in Hove in May, paying £800,000 with the help of a mortgage

Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice blasted: ‘Rayner is the Everest of hypocrisy. She laments a housing shortage, wants to soak the rich, whilst selfishly building her own property mountain.’

Senior Tory Dame Priti Patel added: ‘One rule for this condescending hypocritical Labour minister, and a totally different set of rules for the hard-pressed taxpaying silent majority of Britain.’

The Conservatives – who have been asking Ms Rayner for months which of her first two properties was designated as her primary residence for council tax purposes – said she still had questions to answer.

They asked if she had saved money on her council tax bills by changing her primary residence over the past year, and if she had ever claimed a single-person discount on her taxpayer-funded property.

Tory housing spokesman James Cleverly said: ‘Until she gives full and consistent answers, the public will be left wondering what exactly she has been trying to hide. 

‘If Labour want to tax family homes more than ever, the very least the public deserve is transparency from the minister in charge. Right now, it looks like one rule for Angela Rayner, and another for everyone else.’

A Labour MP also faced questions about whether it was a ‘good look’ for self-avowed socialist Ms Rayner to have the use of three properties when many are struggling to get on the housing ladder. 

Backbencher Catherine Atkinson told GB News: ‘Certainly, when it comes to national policy, what’s important is that we are building the 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.’

At the end of last year, Ms Rayner moved into a three-bedroom grace-and-favour flat in Admiralty House (pictured) – which used to be home to Winston Churchill

Angela Rayner has added an £800,000 seaside apartment to her burgeoning property empire

Ms Rayner is seen arriving in Downing Street to attend the weekly Cabinet meeting in London on July 1 

In May 2023, Ms Rayner paid £650,000 for a four-bedroom house in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency (pictured)

The row over Ms Rayner’s holiday home is not the first time she has faced hypocrisy accusations over her living arrangements. 

Last year The Mail on Sunday revealed she had made a £48,500 profit when she sold her ex-council house, having bought it using the right-to-buy policy she is now introducing restrictions on.

As Deputy Prime Minister, the mother-of-three was granted rent-free use of an apartment in Admiralty House, meaning she could give up her rented flat in the capital. 

Ms Rayner also still owns a house in her Ashton-under-Lyne constituency, which she bought for £375,000 in 2016 but which is now valued at £650,000.

Ms Rayner bought the three-bedroom flat in Hove in May, paying £800,000 with the help of a mortgage. 

Neighbours have spotted her strolling around the area – where DJ Fatboy Slim and Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour live – with on-off boyfriend Sam Tarry.

Beachgoer Graham Brinklow said: ‘Makes me laugh, all these Lefties with their second homes. No, it doesn’t make me laugh, it actually makes me angry.

‘My three grandchildren have all got good jobs but none can get on the property ladder.’

Allies of Ms Rayner defended her decision to buy the seaside apartment. Sources close to her claimed she needed it to use as a base while working in London.

A Labour spokesman said: ‘We are not in the business of restricting people’s ability to own property, but we’re clear that rights come with responsibilities.’