Men charged after abusive messages sent to Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner

Two men have been charged after abusive messages were sent to Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner.

Stuart Kelly, 53, of Halifax, and Michael McGrath, 71, of Sheffield, have both been charged with sending an offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) say Kelly's charge is in relation to telephone calls made to a 41-year-old woman on 15 October 2021.

McGrath's charge is in connection with an email sent to the same woman the following day.

Ms Rayner, 41, is MP for Ashton-under-Lyne in Tameside.

Both men have been bailed and will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 17 March.

GMP say the arrests were part of Operation Octant, which has so far seen four other arrested as part of the investigation, with one man charged and sentenced in connection.

Following an arrest of a Brighton man in January a spokesman for Ms Rayner said: "We are working with the police to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice and Angela would like to thank the police for their work during these investigations.

"Abuse and threats of this nature don't just have an impact on Angela but also on her family, her children and her staff, who are on the receiving end of these communications."