John Healey did not pay council tax on his central London flat following “an administrative error.”
The Defence Secretary has admitted he underpaid around £1,500 in tax owed to Westminster City Council, reports The Telegraph.
A spokesman for Mr Healey blamed the underpayment on the local authority, after it was established he paid only half as much for this tax year.
Following new legislation brought in earlier this year, the Cabinet minister is supposed to pay £2,938 in tax to the local authority annually for the flat, which he is understood to use for work.
However, he rectified the mistake yesterday, Thursday, only after being contacted by reporters about it.
It is the latest in a series of housing scandals surrounding senior Labour MPs, including former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and former Homelessness Minister Rushanara Ali.
Ms Rayner failed to pay a £40,000 stamp duty bill on the purchase of a flat in Hove, while Ms Ali was accused of evicting her tenants and then re-listing the east London property at a higher rent.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Rachel Reeves was forced to admit that she had broken rules for landlords when letting out her London home without a licence last month, blaming the oversight on her letting agents.
More to follow…
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