The investigation into Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner’s previous living arrangements has ended without any charges being made. The Greater Manchester Police had been investigating the sale of Rayner’s former house in Stockport after a complaint from a senior Conservative MP. Rayner was questioned about her tax payments and whether she had paid the right amount of council tax. Rayner welcomed the result, and she was focused on the election. In a statement, Rayner criticised the Conservatives’ tactics to drag her to the police, calling it a move to “distract from their dire record”.
Although the Conservatives said that Rayner didn’t “provide an explanation” to the questions raised, Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said his deputy had been “vindicated.” A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Police revealed that they had conducted a “thorough” investigation and decided not to take any further action. Stockport council, which has the power to investigate council tax arrears, stated that it would take “no further action” after evaluating police data. The police passed information from their inquiry to HMRC, the UK’s taxation authority.
Rayner faced questions over whether she paid tax on the sale of a council house she purchased via the government’s right-to-buy scheme in 2007. She sold the property in 2015, eight years later, for an extra £48,500 after her marriage in 2010. Rayner argued that she didn’t pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on the profit because it was “her home and the only one she owned.” Married couples usually only count one house as their primary residence for CGT purposes, hence the investigations into whether Rayner owed tax on the sale.
Initially, GMP decided not to investigate Rayner in March, but it changed its decision last month when the Conservative party’s James Daly provided them with reassessed information concerning Rayner. Rayner had also faced questions about whether she had registered to vote at the right address, which is obligatory for eligible voters. In her defence, a Labour spokesperson claimed that Rayner spent time at her husband’s house after their marriage, as the house she owned remained her primary home.
Rayner welcomed the police probe’s conclusion and was critical of the Conservative party’s move, saying they used this strategy to distract from their abysmal record. The party’s spokesperson stated that the police’s announcement put an end to the matter, and Rayner was not liable for capital gains tax, as she was properly registered to vote and paid the right amount of council tax
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