Angela Rayner has insisted she did “absolutely nothing wrong” after HMRC launched an investigation into the sale of her former council house. The deputy Labour leader said she was confident she had followed proper procedures and had received tax advice at the time.
Greater Manchester Police are reassessing their decision not to investigate claims that Rayner may have broken electoral law, following a complaint from Conservative MP James Daly. The Tories have pressured police to examine whether Rayner was liable for capital gains tax on the sale before she became an MP.
Rayner said she was happy to provide tax advice to HMRC or the police but would not make it public, citing privacy concerns for her family. She argued the claims were politically motivated, noting that the Conservatives had complained about the police's initial decision not to investigate.
In a separate development, Rayner defended Labour's planned workers' rights reforms, including banning zero-hours contracts, despite criticism from former business secretary Peter Mandelson. She said she would not slow down implementation, emphasising the need to address insecure work.
