Did she or didn’t she? A row over Angela Rayner’s tax affairs has been building for weeks and, if the Conservatives have anything to do with it, won’t go away now.

Buying a home unfortunately means coming face to face with stamp duty, one of Britain’s most hated taxes. Having paid out for a deposit, professional fees, estate agent fees and moving costs, this tax charge is an unwelcome payment.

Buying a home – whether it’s your first or your fifteenth – is commonly ranked as one of life’s most stressful events. This year, mortgage chaos and an uncertain outlook for the housing market have added further complications.

The total return of the average buy-to-let property has reduced by 6% over the last two years, driven by a sharp increase in mortgage costs and agency fees and a reduction in capital appreciation.

The Government’s house building aims took another blow with a total fall last year.

UK house prices continued to rise year-on-year in March, although the pace of growth slowed compared to the previous month, Halifax reveals.

Plans to set ground rents at a ‘peppercorn rate’ are reported to have been dropped amid opposition from freehold campaigners and pension funds. The ambitious overhaul of England’s leasehold system looks set to hit the buffers after Treasury officials quietly axed part of the reforms, The Times reports.

The government has committed to returning the amended Renters Reform Bill to the House of Commons in mid-April.