The police have stopped an investigation Angela Rayner's living situation yesterday – but her former neighbors were furious.
The deputy Labor leader will face no further action from officers over questions about where she lived when she sold her Right-to-Buy home.
Announcing their decision, Greater Manchester Police said it had also passed information to Stockport Council and HMRCbut they too will take no further action against the Ashton-under-Lyne MP.
Her former neighbors reacted yesterday with a mixture of anger and disbelief at the news, calling it 'ridiculous'.
Police yesterday dropped an investigation into Angela Rayner's living conditions, but her former neighbors were furious
Deputy Labor Party Leader Angela Rayner gives a speech in Vicarage Road, Stockport. Agents will take no further action due to questions about where she lived when she sold her Right-to-Buy home
Deputy Labor Party Leader Angela Rayner gives a speech in Lowndes Lane, Stockport. Announcing their decision, Greater Manchester Police said it had also passed information to Stockport Council and HMRC, but they too will take no further action against the Ashton-under-Lyne MP.
Sylvia Hampson, 83, had claimed that Mrs Rayner lived next door to her in a terraced house – owned by her then husband, Mark Rayner – in Lowndes Lane in Stockport, rather than the ex-husband's, for more than 'six or seven years'. council house that she later sold.
The mother-of-two, who gave evidence to the police investigation, said: 'It's bloody ridiculous.
'I know the truth and so does my son. She definitely lived next door to me and she knows she was.”
Chris Hinett, 64, who lives a few doors down from where Ms Rayner claimed she lived in Vicarage Road, Stockport, also reacted angrily.
He said Mrs Rayner described herself as “the landlord” of the house when he intervened over a broken window before she sold it.
The car salesman said of her release: 'It's disgusting. I have cooperated with the police, but next time they knock on my door, I won't bother.
'It is the job of the police to investigate voting rights. She may go to the next deputy prime minister – that's not right.”
Police were investigating a breach of electoral law following allegations that she registered to vote at her ex-council house, when in fact she allowed her brother to live there.
Ms Rayner yesterday blamed “desperate tactics” by the Tories for the row.
“I welcome the conclusion of the police investigation and the confirmation that no further action will be taken,” she said in a statement.
“We've seen the Conservative Party use this playbook before: reporting political opponents to the police during election campaigns to distract from their abysmal record.
“The public has had enough of these desperate tactics from a Tory government that has nothing else to say after 14 years of failure.”
Mrs Rayner's kitchen featured a range of wooden cupboards, tiled floor, built-in oven and black granite worktops with black tile mosaic backsplashes
Photos showed Ms Rayner's garden looking a little less impressive, with an overgrown lawn, weeds growing on the paving stone patio and unstable-looking fences.
Angela Rayner will not expect any further police action against her two homes, it was announced today
A Labor Party spokesman said Rayner had “always been clear” that she was not liable for capital gains tax on the sale of her former council house which she bought under Thatcher's Right-to-Buy policy.
The spokesperson said she took “expert tax and legal advice”, although she never published that advice. Sir Keir Starmer told Sky News: 'I have never doubted that Angela had done anything wrong. And now she has been completely cleared by the police. And that means Angela can campaign with us.”
Police began investigating Ms Rayner after The Mail on Sunday published claims made by neighbors in a book about her by Lord Ashcroft. Mrs Rayner insisted she lived mainly in her own home in Stockport, while her then husband, and father of two of her three children, lived a mile away. This was disputed by former neighbors, who said she lived with her husband and children, and a political aide who gave a statement to police.
The reports raised questions about whether she had failed to pay capital gains tax on the sale of the house she owned and also about her council tax arrangements.
Ms Rayner claimed she had never been liable for capital gains tax, but refused to publish an opinion she said had cleared her.
Yesterday, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: 'Following allegations about MP Angela Rayner, Greater Manchester Police has completed a thorough, carefully considered and proportionate investigation.
'We have concluded that no further police action will be taken.'
Police said matters relating to tax did not fall within their jurisdiction but they had shared information with Stockport Council and HM Revenue and Customs. Stockport Council said it had assessed the information and also concluded that no further action will be taken. HMRC would not comment on any individual's tax affairs, but it is understood they had already investigated the matter at the request of Ms Rayner and concluded that no capital gains tax was due.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: 'As tax expert and Labor MP Dan Neidle has said, Rayner has still not provided an explanation. Sir Keir Starmer could easily clear this up by simply reading and then publishing the tax advice. Labor claims will exonerate his under-fire deputy.”