Rayner property row a 'storm in a teacup' - Shadow Minister
The Shadow Minister has dismissed allegations about Angela Raynor's previous living arrangements
Last updated 13th Apr 2024
Labour MP Jim McMahon came to the defence of Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner on Saturday, after Conservative Party deputy chairman James Daly suggested she may have given false information about her main residence.
He stated that it was unfair to make comparisons between Ms Rayner's situation and the pandemic-era scandal involving former prime minister Boris Johnson, for which she called on Mr Johnson to resign.
When asked about the comparisons, Mr McMahon said "we can't compare the two situations at all"
Ms Rayner has said if she is found to have committed a crime in relation to her living situation a decade ago, she will resign. However she remains confident that she has followed the law at all times.
Ms Rayner, Labour MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, has faced questioning over whether she paid the right amount of tax on the sale of her Stockport council house in 2015.
She has rejected suggestions made by former Tory deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft that she failed to properly declare her main home after buying the property with a 25% discount under the right-to-buy scheme in 2007.
Greater Manchester Police had previously stated that it would not be worth investigating the allegations, but have now launched a probe following the Bury North MP's complaint.
Ms Rayner has denied accusations and described them to be a political smear by the Tory Party.