Angela Rayner says she will quit if police find she broke law over house sale

Angela Rayner has said she will quit if police find she committed a criminal offence – but said she is “completely confident I’ve followed the rules at all times”.

Labour’s Deputy Leader came out fighting after Greater Manchester Police said they were investigating a row involving the sale of a house she lived in almost a decade ago. The force previously said Ms Rayner would not face an investigation into accusations she broke electoral law by giving false information about her main residence.

As senior Labour figures rallied around her, Ms Rayner put out a defiant statement saying she had following the rules and accusing the Tories of trying to smear her. She said: “I’ve repeatedly said I would welcome the chance to sit down with the appropriate authorities, including the police and HMRC, to set out the facts and draw a line under this matter. I am completely confident I’ve followed the rules at all times.”

Ms Rayner said she made no apology for holding the Tories to account over their tax affairs and said it was vital the matter was looked at without political interference.

Keir Starmer threw his support behind Angela Rayner over the row

She went on: “We have seen the Tory Party use this playbook before – reporting political opponents to the police during election campaigns to distract from their record. I will say as I did before – if I committed a criminal offence, I would of course do the right thing and step down. The British public deserves politicians who know the rules apply to them.

“The questions raised relate to a time before I was an MP and I have set out my family’s circumstances and taken expert tax and legal advice. I look forward to setting out the facts with the relevant authorities at the earliest opportunity.”

The row spiralled from claims made by her former neighbours in an unauthorised biography by former Tory peer Lord Ashcroft. Ms Rayner was accused of falsely claiming that she was living at an ex-council house she owned in Stockport when she was living at her 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.

Ms Rayner is said to have bought the semi-detached home in Vicarage Road before she became an MP in 2007, getting a 25% discount under the Right to Buy scheme. She is said to have made a £48,500 profit when selling the house eight years later.

Her husband was listed at another address in Lowndes Lane, about a mile away. Ms Rayner is said to have re-registered the births of her two youngest children to this address. Tory MPs have questioned whether she should have paid capital gains tax of up to £1,500 when she sold the property in 2015, a cost she would have been exempt from if it was her primary residence. However Ms Rayner has insisted that Vicarage Road was her “principal property” despite her husband living elsewhere at the time.

Her supporters have also pointed out that Lord Ashcroft, who penned the biography ‘Red Queen’, held non-dom status for years after he was supposed to have given it up. The controversial status allows people to avoid paying UK tax on overseas earnings.

Labour figures rowed in behind her tonight. Keir Starmer welcomed the probe as he said it will finally “allow for a line to be drawn”. The Labour leader said: “I am fully confident that Angela Rayner has not broken the rules. She will cooperate with the investigation as you would expect and it is really a matter for the police.”

A Shadow Cabinet ally told the Mirror: “Angela has done nothing wrong and this is straight out of the Tory playbook of smearing a decent woman to distract from their own miserable record. It won’t work.”

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin also told us: “Angela Rayner has my full support and I am absolutely confident that she has complied with the rules. This investigation will give her the opportunity to set out the facts.

“She is an inspiring woman and exactly the kind of person we need in politics. It is no surprise to me that the Conservative party is focusing on this when they have run out of things to say to the country about the big issues people face.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he is fully confident that his “best friend” Ms Rayner will be cleared. “I fully support Angela Rayner, I’m confident that she’ll be vindicated in relation to the police investigation,” he said.

“Of course there’s an investigation now which gives Angela a chance to explain to the police what went on. I’m fully confident in Angela, she’s one of my best friends and I’m sure she’ll be cleared.”

Shadow Energy Security Secretary Ed Miliband said: “We are absolutely 100% behind Angela. We are absolutely confident that she has complied with the rules. She welcomes the fact she can set out the facts.”

“My message to the country is we are incredibly proud of Angela Rayner, our deputy leader. She is an inspiring person, she is exactly the kind of person we need in politics,” he continued. “If a Labour government is elected, I look forward to Angela Rayner serving as deputy PM. Frankly the Conservative party is a desperate party that has nothing to say to the country about the big issues that it faces.”

Tory MP James Daly alleged that Greater Manchester Police had failed to properly investigate claims she may have broken electoral law.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “We’re investigating whether any offences have been committed. This follows a reassessment of the information provided to us by Mr Daly.”