Police are looking into Angela Rayner for possible wrongdoing related to council tax and electoral matters. They have assigned about twelve officers to investigate.
The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Stephen Watson, mentioned on Tuesday that several claims are being made that they are going to thoroughly investigate.
Stockport Council is checking letters from James Daly, a Conservative deputy chairman, regarding Angela Rayner’s council tax situation. They are looking into whether she claimed a discount meant for single people on her old house on Vicarage Road while her brother was living there.
Angela Rayner insists she was living at the Vicarage Roadhouse, but neighbors say her brother was living there, and she was with her husband at his house nearby on Lowndes Lane.
In a letter to the council, James Daly asked if Angela Rayner claiming the single-person discount while her brother lived with her could be considered council tax fraud, which could lead to legal consequences.
He explained that the single-person discount is only for someone’s main home, and only one adult should live there. If Angela Rayner’s ex-husband, Mark Rayner, claimed the discount at his house on Lowndes Lane while she lived there, they might not have been eligible for the discount.
It’s not known if anyone in the family claimed the discount. The council hasn’t said if they’ve given any documents to the police.
Besides the council tax issues, Angela Rayner, who is the deputy leader of the Labour Party, is accused of giving the wrong address for herself on the voting list, which is against the law.
The police are looking into the fact that Angela Rayner was listed as living at the Vicarage Roadhouse on the voting list, even though she allegedly lived with her husband at the time.
There are also questions about whether she should have paid capital gains tax when she sold her old council house.
On Tuesday, a source from the police told the Times that the investigation is well-equipped with over a dozen detectives, and they’re looking into more than just one issue.
The Chief Constable, Mr. Watson, said on BBC Radio Manchester the same day, “Various claims are going around. After an initial look, we thought it might not need further investigation or information.
But we’ve reevaluated and decided to start a formal investigation. This doesn’t mean we have hard evidence yet. We’re just taking the allegation seriously and will find out what’s happened.”
When asked what exactly they’re investigating, a spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Police said, “The investigations are ongoing, and we won’t say more until they’re finished.”
Stockport council has also been asked if they’re helping the police with their investigation but hasn’t commented yet.
On Friday, Angela Rayner promised to step down as the deputy leader of the Labour Party if the police find she’s broken the law.
She said, “I’ve said before that I’m willing to talk to the police and HMRC to explain everything. I’m confident I’ve followed the rules. Integrity and accountability matter in politics, which is why this needs to be looked at independently and without politics getting in the way.”
