Rayner cites family privacy in refusing to release tax advice

Angela Rayner refused four times to say she would publish tax advice about the sale of her former home.

Labour’s deputy leader has come under scrutiny in recent months over claims she failed to pay capital gains tax when selling a former council property in Stockport bought under the right-to-buy scheme.

Ms Rayner has said she had sought independent advice and was assured that she was not required to pay tax on the sale of the property.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she repeatedly refused to say she would publish the advice.

It comes following reports that Greater Manchester Police was reviewing its decision not to investigate claims that Ms Rayner has broken electoral law by failing to properly declare her main residence.

Last night Stockport Council confirmed it would review allegations that Ms Rayner committed tax or electoral fraud.

Asked if she would publish her tax details, Ms Rayner said: “I’ve been clear about that and I’ve given that information. What the police have done is they conducted an investigative review following pressure from the Conservative deputy chair and concluded there is no case to answer.

“But since then the Conservatives have made a complaint about the police’s actions in that and the police are reassessing that. I am confident that I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong. I’ve been very clear on my advice that I have received.”

Pushed again on whether she would publish, she added that it was “not fair on my family for that information to be out there” and insisted she would provide it to the police and HMRC if required.

The claims came to light in a book by the former Tory deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft, which suggested that she had failed to properly declare her main residence.

Bury North’s MP James Daly, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, has since issued a complaint to Greater Manchester Police asking them to look again at whether Ms Rayner gave the correct information in official documents and to investigate whether she broke electoral rules.