Rayner Will Resign If Police Discover Criminal Offense

Angela Rayner, Deputy Labour leader, has pledged to step down if she is found to have committed a crime but maintains her “confidence” in following the regulations.

Recent developments include Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirming they are investigating allegations that she may have violated electoral law by providing false information about her main residence ten years ago.

Rayner faces allegations of potentially breaching rules due to discrepancies in the address she declared as her primary residence at the time compared to her husband’s address.

Questions have also surfaced regarding the accuracy of her tax payments upon selling her property in 2015.

Although GMP initially stated no probe would be conducted, they later announced a reassessment following information from Conservative Party Deputy Chairman James Daily.

Rayner, Ashton-under-Lyne’s MP, refutes the allegations levied against her and labels inquiries into her tax affairs as “fabricated” attempts to tarnish her reputation.

Following confirmation of a police investigation, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer expressed his belief that his deputy had not violated any rules and chose not to address whether Rayner should resign as the party’s deputy leader should she be found guilty.

Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, accused Rayner of applying “double standards”, noting her previous calls for Boris Johnson to resign during a police investigation into lockdown rule breaches.

In her statement on Friday, Rayner reiterated her commitment to stepping down if found guilty.

“I have reiterated before that should I commit a criminal offense, I would act accordingly and resign. The British public deserves politicians who are bound by the rules,” she remarked.

The MP insists she is “completely confident” she did not contravene any rules and alleges that the Conservative Party is leveraging police investigations for electoral gains.

“I have repeatedly expressed my readiness to engage with relevant authorities, including the police and HMRC, to present the facts and bring closure to this matter. I firmly believe I have adhered to the rules at all times,” she asserted in her statement.

“I have always emphasized the importance of integrity and accountability in politics. Thus, it is crucial for an independent and unbiased review of this issue to take place without political influence.”

Rayner emphasized that she makes “no apologies” for holding Conservative ministers accountable in the past, underscoring that as the opposition’s deputy leader, it is what the public expects of her.

“The Tory Party has employed this tactic before—reporting political rivals to the police during election periods to divert attention from their own track record,” she claimed.

Rayner has been under scrutiny regarding whether she accurately paid taxes on the 2015 sale of her Stockport council house due to confusion over its designation as her primary residence.

Dismissing claims in a book by former Tory deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft that she had not correctly declared her main residence, Rayner condemned the recent attacks as politically motivated smears.

The unauthorized biography alleges that she obtained the property with a 25 percent discount in 2007 under Margaret Thatcher’s right-to-buy scheme and made a profit when selling it eight years later.

Government guidance stipulates that a tenant may apply for the right-to-buy scheme if the council home is their “only or main home.”

Her husband was listed at a separate address on Lowndes Lane, approximately a mile away, which was also acquired under the right-to-buy scheme.

During the same period as her wedding, Rayner reportedly re-registered the births of her two youngest children, listing her husband’s address as her residence.

Despite her husband residing elsewhere at the time, Rayner reaffirms that Vicarage Road was her “principal property.”

PA Media contributed to this report.