News Angela Rayner Labour

The police investigation into Angela Rayner’s tax affairs ends with no further action. Thoughts and prayers to Dan Hodges

Oonagh Keating. Updated May 29th, 2024

Greater Manchester Police have ruled out taking any action against Angela Rayner, after investigating issues regarding the sale of her former home.

Background

In 2007, long before she became an MP, Ms Rayner bought her council house in Stockport under the right-to-buy scheme. Three years later, she got married and sold the house at a profit, but didn’t pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT), believing it to be unnecessary because the property was her main residence.

A biography of the Labour Deputy Leader, Red Queen, written by Lord Ashcroft, alleged that she already effectively lived with her husband before the sale, and therefore would have been liable for CGT amounting to no more than £3,500 – but possibly less.

James Daly

The police investigation began after a complaint by Conservative Party Deputy Chairman, James Daly, who either wouldn’t or couldn’t specify what crime he suspected she had committed.

Dan Hodges

Daly and several other Tory MPs weren’t the only people invested in Angela Rayner’s historic tax affairs. Mail columnist Dan Hodges kept up a running commentary via Twitter/X.

Here are just a few of his posts.

Day 3. The question Angela Rayner needs to answer is this. If - as she claims - she received advice her tax arrangements were within the rules, why has she continued to lie about her living arrangements. And did she tell the truth to her tax experts when they made their assessment.

Day 14: We don’t need a police investigation with a dozen officers. We don’t need an investigation by HMRC. All we need is Angela Rayner or Labour to publish the information they claim exonerates her.

Day 19 of Angela Rayner not answering legitimate questions

Day 34: Angela Rayner. You know the drill…

It must have been a relief for him to find out he could stop the constant posts. Er …no.

Most charitable explanation is Angela Rayner’s allies didn’t actually read the GMP statement before declaring she’d been exonerated. More cynical is they deliberately span it that way to try and cover up the fact the police have passed a file to the Inland Revenue.

It can be hard to give up a favourite hobby.

Angela Rayner shared her reaction.

The internet responded – and there were was a touching amount of concern for the welfare of Dan Hodges. Sort of.

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