Police ‘reassessing resolution’ to not examine Angela Rayner after housing claims

Mar 27, 2024 at 8:40 PM

Greater Manchester Police has mentioned it’s “reassessing” its resolution to not examine allegations made in opposition to Labour’s deputy chief Angela Rayner over her dwelling preparations after receiving a criticism.

The Labour MP has come under the spotlight in latest weeks over the sale of an ex-council home she beforehand owned in Stockport, having been accused of avoiding capital beneficial properties tax – one thing she has denied.

But Ms Rayner has additionally confronted scrutiny over claims that in 2010, she might have lived primarily at her then-husband’s handle, regardless of registering to vote below her personal – which may very well be a breach of electoral guidelines.

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She told journalists earlier this month that there was “never a question of deceitfulness” or “conspiracy” close to her dwelling preparations, as she outlined her “difficult” household state of affairs on the time.

But Tory MP James Daly requested police to analyze whether or not she had given false data or damaged election guidelines.

Initially, Greater Manchester Police regarded into the claims and mentioned there was no proof of an offence being dedicated.

However, in a contemporary assertion launched on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the drive mentioned: “We have received a complaint regarding our decision not to investigate an allegation and are in the process of reassessing this decision.

“The complainant shall be up to date with the end result of the reassessment in the end.”

The claims first surfaced in a e-book about Ms Rayner by former Conservative Party deputy chairman and Tory donor Lord Ashcroft, which has been serialised within the Mail on Sunday.

The newspaper revealed she had made a £48,500 profit on her ex-council home by “right-to-buy”, which provides native authority housing tenants the facility to purchase their house at a reduced charge – one thing Ms Rayner has criticised for giving some tenants “loads and loads of discount”.

According to the newspaper, Ms Rayner purchased her personal former council home on Vicarage Road, Stockport, with a 25% low cost in 2007 and realised the elevated return when she offered it on the market charge eight years later.

Ms Rayner has mentioned she paid payments and council tax and was registered to vote on the handle. If it was her major handle, as she has claimed, she wouldn’t have needed to pay capital beneficial properties tax on it when she offered it in 2015 for £127,500.

However, there have been claims that regardless of registering at Vicarage Road, she was primarily dwelling at Lowndes Lane, Mr Rayner’s handle.

The deputy chief mentioned she had since acquired “expert tax advice that says I’ve not dodged any tax or anything else”.

She added: “I try and protect people who don’t ask to be in the public eye and that’s why I’ve been very clear: I’ve done nothing wrong, I’ve had expert tax advice, I’ve done nothing wrong.”