Angela Rayner 'grateful' for support as police drop council house investigation
Angela Rayner faced scrutiny about whether she paid the right amount of tax on a property sold in 2015, ITV News Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana reports
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said she is "grateful" to those who have supported her as police confirm she will face no further action over allegations she broke electoral law relating to information about her living arrangements.
In March, the force said it was investigating several claims following a complaint made by James Daly, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party.
"I am grateful to all those who have stood by and supported me and my family. My focus now is squarely on securing the change Britain needs, with the election of a Labour government,” Ms Rayner said in a statement.
She faced scrutiny about whether she paid the right amount of tax on the 2015 sale of her Stockport council house because of confusion over whether it was her principal residence.
Mr Daly had made Greater Manchester Police (GMP) aware of neighbours contradicting Ms Rayner’s statement that her property, separate from her husband’s, was her main residence.
Following a "thorough, carefully considered and proportionate investigation," GMP "concluded that no further police action will be taken."
In response to the GMP conclusion, Ms Rayner accused the Conservative Party of having used this "playbook before - reporting political opponents to the police during election campaigns to distract from their dire record".
She added: "The public have had enough of these desperate tactics from a Tory government with nothing else to say after 14 years of failure."
GMP added that matters involving council tax did not fall into its jurisdiction but details of its “thorough” investigation have been shared with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
The spokesperson said: “The investigation originated from complaints made by Mr James Daly MP directly to GMP. Subsequent further contact with GMP by members of the public, and claims made by individuals featured in media reporting, indicated a strong public interest in the need for allegations to be investigated.
“Matters involving council tax and personal tax do not fall into the jurisdiction of policing. GMP has liaised with Stockport Council and information about our investigation has been shared with them. Details of our investigation have also been shared with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).”
Stockport Council has confirmed it reviewed "all correspondence relating to this matter" and also "concluded that no further action will be taken on behalf of the council".
Meanwhile, the Conservative Party has hit out again at Ms Rayner and said she “still hasn’t provided an explanation” over her living arrangements.
A spokesperson added: “Sir Keir Starmer could easily clear this up by simply reading and then publishing the tax advice Labour claims will exonerate his under-fire deputy.”
In response to the decision, a Labour Party spokesperson said that Ms Rayner "has always been clear" that she was not liable for capital gains tax on the sale of the home she owned before she was an MP and that "she was properly registered to vote, and paid the appropriate council tax".
"She took expert tax and legal advice which confirms this. This draws a line under the matter,” they said.
What were the allegations against Angela Rayner?
The deputy Labour leader's living arrangements originally drew attention after the release of a book by former Tory deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft, which claimed she failed to properly declare her main home.
The unauthorised biography alleges that she bought the property with a 25% discount in 2007 under the right-to-buy scheme.
The former carer is said to have made a £48,500 profit when selling the house in 2015. Ms Rayner said she did not pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on the profit.
Government guidance says those selling their main home don't have to pay the tax but married couples can normally only count one property as their main home.
Ms Rayner's then-husband was listed at another address in Lowndes Lane, about a mile away, which had also been bought under the right-to-buy scheme.
In the same year as her wedding in 2010, the Labour deputy is said to have re-registered the births of her two youngest children, giving her address as where her husband resided.
Ms Rayner has since insisted that Vicarage Road was her “principal property” despite her husband living elsewhere at the time.
As the row developed, Mr Daly alleged she may have made a false declaration about where she was living on the electoral register.
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