Labour’s election campaign continues to get off to a good start. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has today confirmed that it will take no further action against Angela Rayner after accusations surrounding her living arrangements. Officers from the force launched an investigation into the party’s deputy leader in April after Tory MP James Daly registered a complaint. It followed reports in the Mail which suggested that Rayner might have lived primarily at her then-husband’s address in Stockport, despite registering to vote under her own – a potential breach of electoral rules.
But this afternoon GMP released a 121-word statement which says that after ‘a thorough, carefully considered and proportionate investigation’ they have concluded that ‘no further police action will be taken’. It confirmed that ‘The investigation originated from complaints made by Mr James Daly MP directly to GMP’ and that ‘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.’ The subtext is clear: public pressure drove this probe.
The Labour deputy leader also faced further allegations about the aforementioned house in Stockport, with claims that she avoided paying capital gains tax when she sold the ex-council house. GMP’s statement today confirmed that ‘matters involving council tax and personal tax do not fall into the jurisdiction of policing’. The information from their investigation was therefore been shared with both Stockport Council and HMRC. It is understood that HMRC looked into the matter at Rayner’s request and concluded there was no capital gains tax liability, with Stockport Council also concluding ‘that no further action will be taken on behalf of the council.’
For the Labour deputy leader and her team, there will be relief tonight that none of the three investigations will go any further. Since this story broke three months ago, Rayner has cut a slightly more muted figure than the Rottweiler of old. Liberated from the police probe, her fans within the Labour party will be hoping to see the punchy pugilist emerge once more. Starmer will just be glad that this matter is now resolved, with Labour only five weeks away from potentially entering government.
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