Police investigating ‘several allegations’ against Angela Rayner: Team of officers ‘looking into tax matters and other issues’ linked to Labor deputy leader’s town hall row

Police investigating Angela Rayner over her living arrangements are looking into several allegations, including her tax affairs, and are not just looking into whether she broke electoral law, it was reported last night.

As Labour’s deputy leader broke cover yesterday following the launch of the police investigation into the “two homes” saga, it emerged that at least a dozen officers are investigating a range of issues linked to where she lived in the 2010s.

Sir Keir Starmer’s number two was pictured grinning broadly during a visit to a West Sussex housing estate with shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Wearing a crimson trouser suit with matching shoes and clinging paperwork, the 44-year-old was earlier seen leaving his address in London.

But her appearance at the event in support of Labour’s campaign in next month’s local elections was overshadowed by new claims about the scale of the investigation announced last week by Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

The move followed claims that Mrs Rayner had falsely declared on the electoral roll that she lived in a former council house she had bought under Right to Buy rules, when she lived primarily at her then-husband Mark’s home a mile away in Lowndes Lane in Stockport, Greater Manchester.

The address on Lowndes Lane – about a mile from Mrs Rayner’s property on Vicarage Road, which she insisted was her home

Yesterday, GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson said there were ‘a number of allegations that came knocking’ and his officers ‘want to get to the bottom of what has happened’.

He stressed that launching an investigation was a “neutral act” and did not mean there was “hard and fast evidence” to base anything on.

The force has not specified which allegations it is investigating, but last night The Times reported that, as well as potential electoral offences, police are also looking into allegations that Ms Rayner failed to pay capital gains tax due when she sold the property in 2015.

A source told the newspaper that the investigation was “very well equipped” and “not a single issue”. “There is a body of material and a clear public interest to investigate fully,” they added.

Mrs Rayner’s council tax arrangements are also understood to be part of the police investigation.

Stockport Council is already reviewing whether Mrs Rayner claimed single person tax relief on her property while allowing her brother to live there.

But police sources said it was possible no offenses would ultimately be identified, with cases potentially referred to other bodies such as HMRC.

The announcement of a criminal investigation followed a complaint by Tory deputy leader James Daly, after which the force initially said Ms Rayner had ‘no case to answer’.

The allegations – which date back to before she became an MP in 2015 – first appeared in Red Queen? The unauthorized biography of Angela Rayner by Lord Ashcroft, serialized in the Mail.

Knowingly giving false information on a voter registration form is an offense punishable by up to six months in prison or an unlimited fine.

Mrs Rayner has also faced questions about whether she should have paid capital gains tax on the former town hall when it was sold in 2015 for a profit of £48,500 if it was not her main residence.

The Labor MP has sought to put the weeks-long row behind her as she attended a housing development in West Sussex on Tuesday to meet families struggling to get mortgages with shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The Mail on Sunday revealed social media posts in which the Labor deputy leader said she had ‘just got home’ in the background of her then-husband’s house.

Ms Rayner has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing but has refused to publish tax advice which she claims exonerates her.

The mother-of-three says the couple, who have since separated, both ‘maintained’ their own properties until they set up a joint matrimonial home after she was elected to Parliament.

Sources say she has ‘never denied’ that she also ‘spent time’ at her husband’s house.

She says she will resign if it is ‘shown that she has committed a criminal offence’.

The Labor Party pointed MailOnline to Rayner’s statement on Friday.

Rayner said: ‘I have repeatedly said that I would welcome the chance to sit down with the relevant authorities, including the police and HMRC, to set out the facts and draw a line under this matter. I am absolutely certain that I have followed the rules at all times.

Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer has backed Ms Rayner

‘I have always said that integrity and accountability are important in politics. It is therefore important that this be looked into as soon as possible, independently and without political interference.

“I do not apologize for holding Conservative ministers to account in the past. Indeed, the public would rightly expect me to do so as Deputy Speaker of the Opposition.

‘We’ve 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 an offence, of course I would do the right thing and resign. The British public deserve politicians who know the rules apply to them.

‘The questions asked relate to a time before I was an MP and I have explained my family’s circumstances and taken expert tax and legal advice. I look forward to clarifying the facts with the relevant authorities as soon as possible.’

MailOnline has contacted GMP for comment.