28 May 2024 , 14:59
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Labour's Angela Rayner has been "vindicated" after police dropped a probe into her over allegations she broke electoral law.
Greater Manchester Police said it will take no action against Keir Starmer's Deputy, who had vowed to resign if found to have committed a criminal offence. Ms Rayner came out fighting last month after Tory Deputy chairman James Daly lobbied police to investigate a row involving the sale of a council house she lived in a decade ago.
In a statement Ms Rayner welcomed the end of the probe and hit out at the "desperate tactics from a Tory government with nothing else to say after 14 years of failure". Labour MPs also accused the Conservatives of wasting police time with the investigation that was reported to have involved at least a dozen officers at the force.
It will come as a setback for the Tories' gaffe-prone General Election campaign which began with Rishi Sunak announcing the date of the poll in the pouring rain - without an umbrella. Still trailing Labour in the national polls by 23-points - according to the latest survey - one minister even admitted heading off to Greece instead of campaigning in his marginal seat.
In a statement, a spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said it had "completed a thorough, carefully considered and proportionate investigation". They added: "We have concluded that no further police action will be taken.“
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They added: "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)."
A spokesman for Stockport Council added: "Stockport Council has reviewed and responded to all correspondence relating to this matter, including information received from Greater Manchester Police (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."
The Mirror also understands Ms Rayner had requested HMRC to look into the matter and they confirmed to her that there was no capital gains tax liability on the sale of her council house in Vicarage Road in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in 2015. HMRC would not comment on an individual's tax affairs.
Ms Rayner said: “I welcome the conclusion of the police investigation, and confirmation that no further action will be taken." Referring to the failed Covid "Beergate" campaign pushed by the Tories in 2021 against herself and Mr Starmer, she added:“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.
Keir Starmer said Angela Rayner had been 'vindicated' as police probe dropped a probe"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.”
Labour leader Mr Starmer said his Deputy "has been vindicated". He told reporters on the election campaign trail: "I never doubted that Angela hadn't done anything wrong and now she's been cleared by the police."
Questions over the Deputy leader's living arrangements first emerged in an unauthorised biography by the billionaire former Tory peer, Lord Ashcroft. Ms Rayner was accused of falsely claiming that she was living at an ex-council house she owned when she was living at her then husband Mark Rayner's house a mile down the road.
Critics said she may have broken electoral law as she should not have been registered on the electoral roll if she did not live there. But Ms Rayner had insisted that Vicarage Road was her "principal property" despite her husband living elsewhere at the time. She also 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.
Ms Rayner is said to have sold the property she bought under the Right to Buy scheme, making a £48,500 profit, almost a decade ago. Couples can normally only count one property as their main home for capital gains tax purposes, prompting questions over whether she should have paid it.
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Senior Labour figures including leader Mr Starmer had stood by Ms Rayner throughout the investigation. During a fiery exchange in the Commons last month, the Labour leader accused "billionaire" Mr Sunak of "smearing a working-class woman" over the row.
Responding to the police statement today, a Labour spokeswoman 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 cooperated 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.”
Neighbours in her old street labelled the investigation “a witch hunt”, a “waste of money” and a “smear campaign” when approached by The Mirror last month.