Angela Rayner council house sale investigation is dropped by police

The police probe into Angela Rayner's tax affairs has been dropped, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed.

The Labour Deputy Leader was reported to the force by the Conservatives after she was accused of not paying the correct amount of tax when she sold an ex-council home in 2015.

She owned a property registered as her primary address, but it was claimed she had been living at her then-husband's address when it was sold.

Ms Rayner accused the Conservatives of using this "playbook before".

She claimed: “I welcome the conclusion of the police investigation, and confirmation that no further action will be taken.

“We have seen the Conservative Party use this playbook before - reporting political opponents to the police during election campaigns to distract from their dire record. The public have had enough of these desperate tactics from a Tory government with nothing else to say after 14 years of failure.

“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.”

Greater Manchester Police also passed on details of the allegations to Stockport Council and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

A statement from GMP said: "Following allegations about Ms Rayner, GMP completed a thorough, carefully considered investigation and concluded no further action is going to be taken."

The force added that the investigation originated after complaints made by James Daly, the Conservative candidate for Bury North. Subsequent complaints by members of the public indicated a strong public interest in the allegations.

"Matters involving council tax and personal tax do not fall into the jurisdiction of policing," said the constabulary. "GMP has liaised with Stockport Council and HMRC."

Stockport Council also confirmed "no further action will be taken".

A spokesman for the local authority said: "Stockport Council has reviewed and responded to all correspondence relating to this matter, including information received from GMP who have concluded that no further police action will be taken.

"We have also concluded that no further action will be taken on behalf of the council."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he was pleased Ms Rayner "has been vindicated".

The Labour leader told reporters during a campaign visit to Stevenage: "I'm absolutely pleased that they've come to a conclusion.

"I never doubted that Angela hadn't done anything wrong and now she's been cleared by the police.

"And that means that Angela can be campaigning with us. This is an important moment for the country. This is an election that is all about change, turning our back on 14 years of chaos and division, turning the page and rebuilding our country with Labour.

"So I'm really pleased that Angela has been vindicated. I always had confidence in her.

"And now even more than ever, we are out there on the campaign trail, enjoying taking our argument to the country."

Questions about Ms Rayner's living arrangements surfaced following suggestions in a book by former Tory deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft that she failed to properly declare her main home.

The unauthorised biography alleged that the Labour candidate for Ashton-under-Lyne bought her former council house, in Vicarage Road, Stockport, in 2007 under the Right to Buy scheme.

Her then husband was listed at another address in Lowndes Lane, about a mile away, which was bought under the Right to Buy scheme.

In the same year as her wedding, Ms Rayner is said to have re-registered the births of her two youngest children, giving her address as where her husband resided.

Ms Rayner has insisted that Vicarage Road was her "principal property" despite her husband living elsewhere at the time.

She has faced questions about whether she should have paid capital gains tax when her home was sold and if she paid the correct amount of council tax.

A Labour Party spokesman said: "The police have now completed their investigation into claims made by the Conservative Party deputy chairman and have concluded that no further action will be taken. Angela co-operated fully with the police investigation throughout.

"Angela 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, 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."